Chiro-Med Centers, PC

"A Healthier Weigh"™

www.chiro-medcenters.com

According to the NHLBI guidelines, assessment of overweight involves using three key measures:

• body mass index (BMI)
• waist index, and
• risk factors for diseases and conditions associated with obesity.

The BMI is a measure of your weight relative to your height and waist circumference measures abdominal fat. Combining these with information about your additional risk factors yields your risk for developing obesity-associated diseases.

BMI is a reliable indicator of total body fat, which is related to the risk of disease and death. The score is valid for both men and women but it does have some limits. The limits are:

• It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.
• It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle mass.

Use the BMI calculator or tables to estimate your total body fat. The BMI score means the following:

2.  Waist Index

Determine your waist index by placing a measuring tape snugly around your waist. It is a good indicator of your abdominal fat which is another predictor of your risk for developing risk factors for heart disease, type II diabetes, hyperlipemia, stroke (metabolic syndrome) and other diseases. This risk increases with a waist measurement of over 40 inches in men and over 35 inches in women

3.  Other Risk Factors

Besides being overweight or obese, there are additional risk factors to consider.

 RISK FACTORS

• high blood pressure (hypertension)
• high LDL-cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol)
  
• low HDL-cholesterol ("good" cholesterol)
  
• high triglycerides
  
• high blood glucose (sugar)
  
• family history of premature heart disease
  
• physical inactivity
  
• cigarette smoking

4.  Assessment

For people who are considered obese (BMI greater than or equal to 30) or those who are overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) and have two or more risk factors, the guidelines recommend weight loss. Even a small weight loss (just 10 percent of your current weight) will help to lower your risk of developing diseases associated with obesity. Patients who are overweight, do not have a high waist measurement, and have less than 2 risk factors may need to prevent further weight gain rather than lose weight.

The above information was provided by the National Institutes of Health and the NHLBI