Special Announcement:
The AMA (American Medical Association) has recently officially recognized that BMI is an imperfect measurement in determining obesity because it does not account for the differences across race/ethnic groups, sexes, genders, and age spans. The AMA now uses it in conjunction with other determinants, including measurements of visceral fat, body adiposity (fat) index, body composition, relative fat mass, waist circumference, and genetic/metabolic factors.
That was a mouthful, so let’s start with the basics.
Have you heard of BMI? This stands for body mass index and has been used for years as a scale to determine obesity. It is a calculation that takes into account only height and weight. It is limited in several ways in addition to those mentioned above. Specifically, for those who have a muscular build, it can overestimate body fat. For older individuals who have decreased muscle mass, it can underestimate body fat.
Why is this important?
In men, a BMI greater than 25 is considered overweight, and greater than 30 is considered obese. That breaks down to the fact that an average-height man in the US of 5’9″ weighing over 169 lbs is considered overweight, and over 203 is morbidly obese. Body composition is not considered if you only use height and weight to calculate BMI. The use of waist circumference helps to balance the scale. While weight is very important, increased fat around your waist (known as truncal obesity) is a valuable screen for possible health risks. This is particularly true in the case of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
For men, a waist circumference greater than 40 inches significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
How to measure your waist circumference – An accurate measurement is fundamental.
Step 1. Stand up
Step 2. Find the point halfway between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bones. This line may run across your belly button, but depending on your size, it may not.
Step 3. Wrap a tape measure around your abdomen at this line and pull it so that it is flush against your skin but not digging in.
Step 4. Breathe out naturally and take your measurement.
Why does it matter where you carry most of your fat in your body? The answer depends on what the fat is surrounding. There are two types of fat in the abdomen: visceral fat and subcutaneous fat. The visceral fat surrounds the abdominal organs, including the stomach, liver, and intestines. Excess amounts of visceral fat, which may be associated with a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, using alcohol, poor dietary choices, and stress, can lead to poor health. These health issues include hypertension, diabetes, and high cholesterol. Visceral fat differs from subcutaneous fat, or fat under the skin, which, in small amounts, is protective for the body. Excess subcutaneous fat can also lead to diabetes, heart disease, strokes, and other problems.
While taking your waist measurement, try taking your hip measurement as well. The waist-to-hip ratio provides additional information that is very useful and helps to eliminate any potential doubt in diagnosis.
The good news is that your waist circumference is under your control. Even small decreases in weight, such as 5 to 10 percent, may significantly affect your health risks. Exercising 30 minutes daily, making proper dietary choices, reducing stress, and getting adequate sleep can reduce visceral fat and decrease the likelihood of obesity-related illness.
Schedule an appointment with Sharpe Concierge to see how we can work together to help achieve optimal health.
