Body Mass Index Studies Increase Awareness for Obesity Linked Diseases

In a world where obesity related diseases claim the lives of millions each year, the study of Body Mass Index could become very crucial in helping to lower the risk of life-threatening diseases. Obesity has been a problem that has plagued the world, mainly the United States, for decades now and there has been little hope to stop it. With the introduction of fast food restaurants super sizing nearly every meal, the number of calories people eat each year have more than doubled. The epidemic of obesity is increasing, and the chances of heart diseases have also increased. The study of Body Mass Index can be very helpful in diagnosing the risks of diseases and helping to reduce that risk.

Body Mass Index is a measure of how much body fat a person has based on his or her height and weight. The equation to calculate BMI is your Weight multiplied 703 divided by your height in inches squared. When a person calculates his or her BMI, that person should get a number that signifies whether they are underweight, regular, overweight, obese or extremely obese. The number varies for each person and can be as low as 8 or as high as 204. Underweight is classified as a BMI under 20, regular is between 20 and 24, overweight is between 25 and 29, obese is between 30 and 39, and if you are above 40 you are considered to be extremely obese.

BMI calculations are very useful as a screening tool to determine if your weight is putting you at risk for heart diseases, diabetes and even cancer. BMI, however, is not the only method to diagnosing these risks. Future tests are also taken such as skinfold thickness measures, family history of diseases, diets and physical activity. A high BMI can be considered very dangerous and the risks are discussed below.

A few diseases and severe risks that are associated with a high BMI include:

• High Blood Pressure – This is when your blood pushes the walls of arteries while heart pumps blood. It can be detrimental to your health.

• Stroke – When overweight, you can tend to build up plaque in your arteries. When these arteries with plaque rupture, blood clotting occurs. This blood clotting stops the blood going to your brain which in turn can cause a stroke or even brain damage.

• Type 2 Diabetes – One of the most common, Type 2 Diabetes occurs when the body’s blood glucose or blood sugar level is too high. The body usually releases insulin to transform the glucose into energy. When there is too much glucose the body is unable to produce enough insulin. That is Type 2 Diabetes. Diabetes is one of the number 1 causes of an early death.

• Cancer – When a person is obese, he or she is more likely to have colon, breast or gallbladder cancer.

• Osteoarthritis – It is a joint problem that pertains to the knees, lower back or hips. The tissues that help protect the joints wear away because of the heavy weight and high BMI. After the tissues wear away the weight causes pressure on the joints damaging them.

These risks are very serious, but because scientists have cracked down on high BMI, they have discovered ways to significantly reduce a person’s BMI to a healthy level. Ways to reduce BMI include going on a no sugar or processed foods diet, doing resistance training twice a week to build muscle and cutting out excess calories from the food you eat. Eating fruits and vegetables is vital if a person wants to lose weight and reduce their BMI. With these simple steps a person can become healthy in no time. The study of BMI has helped our world significantly in reducing the risk of diseases and hopefully holds much more potential in the future.

Works Cited

https://www.unicarestateplan.com/pdf/bmiFlyer.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_heaviest_people

https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/adult_bmi/

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1PyrXtYON1k

http://healthyliving.azcentral.com/lose-bmi-fastest-6923.html

http://www.eatingrightisthecure.org/