Why BMI does not give the full picture of your health
BMI (Body Mass Index) is a measure used to estimate a person’s body fat and assess whether their weight falls within a healthy range. It is calculated by dividing body weight (in kilograms) by height (in meters) squared.
However, the BMI index does not say much about your body composition or what your weight consists of, and a higher BMI does not automatically mean a health risk. A body with a large amount of muscle (high muscle mass) will receive a higher value, and the same applies if a person has a healthy weight but is relatively short. BMI can therefore be a way to get an idea of what may be an appropriate body weight for you, but it does not have a direct connection to your body fat percentage or the proportion of muscle mass. Even if you are considered to have obesity (overweight) according to BMI, your body and weight may be healthier than the numbers suggest. To gain a more accurate picture of a person’s health and risk profile related to body composition – meaning the amount of muscle and fat and where the fat is located in the body – additional measurement methods are required.
A BMI value that corresponds to overweight does not necessarily imply health risks on its own. If you are well trained and have a higher amount of muscle mass, this has many health benefits even if you weigh more than what is considered normal weight. However, a high proportion of body fat, especially if it is located around the internal organs in the abdomen (abdominal fat), increases the risk of health problems and certain diseases.
