Re: A Waist is a Good Thing to Mind

From: Zee (fresh~horses_at_despammed.com)
Date: 09/13/04 

Date: 13 Sep 2004 11:09:36 -0700

Don Kirkman wrote:
> Several times there have been threads in scm discussing measures of
> obesity and heart risk. The Body Mass Index seems to be widely used.
I
> have noted that BMI does not account for body type. A September 12,
> 2004 article by Tedd Mitchell, MD, in USA Weekend discusses this
issue
> further.

You could have put anything under that title and I would have read it.
Well done!

Zee

>
> <Copyright 2004, USA Weekend.>
> "Many scientists use the body mass index (BMI) as a tool to predict
> risks from being overweight. If you're a dieter, you may already
know
> your BMI: 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, 25 to 29.9 is
overweight,
> 30 and up is obese. Clear-cut, right?
>
> "Unfortunately, BMI doesn't factor in body type. Imagine two men,
both
> 6-foot-2, 240 pounds. Both have a BMI that labels them obese. But
one
> is a lean, muscular athlete. The other is a pudgy office worker with
a
> high percentage of body fat. These guys have very different
physiques
> and health risks.
>
> "A report in *The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition* [1] shows
that
> waist circumference may prove to be a better indicator than BMI of
> cardivascular health risk. How do you measure up? A waist size of
> 40-plus inches for men or 35-plus inches for women indicates high
health
> risk. Under 35 inches for men and under 33 for women indicates good
> health."
>
> [1] American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2002;76:743-749.
>
> My commentary: Although this brief report cites rather exact figures
> for healthy or risky waist measurements, IIUC the underlying article
> cautions that waist size may be one of several indicators that need
to
> be considered together, including height and frame size; it is
clearly a
> step beyond using only BMI or total weight.
> --
> Don
> donkirk@covad.net

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