What Are the Definitions of Overweight and Obesity?
Doctors rely on BMI to determine whether people are overweight or have obesity, but it’s becoming just one of several measurements clinicians can use to diagnose these chronic conditions.
The Role of BMI
Adults with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 are considered at a healthy weight. An adult who is 5 feet 9 inches tall has a BMI in this range if they weigh 125 to 168 pounds.
Individuals with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 are considered overweight. An adult who is 5 feet 9 inches tall has a BMI in the overweight range if they weigh 169 to 202 pounds.
Those with a BMI of 30 or higher have obesity. An adult who is 5 feet 9 inches tall has obesity if they weigh 203 pounds or more.
BMI ranges for overweight and obesity differ for people of Asian and South Asian descent, with overweight characterized by a BMI of 23 to 27.4 and obesity characterized by a BMI of 27.5 or higher.
Why BMI Is No Longer the Only Metric
The trouble with BMI is that it doesn’t always identify people who have health risks linked to excess body weight. For this reason, the American Medical Association encourages physicians to look beyond BMI to get a more complete picture of a patient’s risk.
Since BMI relies solely on height and weight measurements, a person who has a lot of lean muscle mass (which adds weight) can have the same BMI as someone who has more body fat mass. What’s more, the original formula doesn’t consider that body fat naturally varies based on a person’s sex, race, and ethnicity, nor does it account for other factors like genetic risk or bone density that can influence the potential for a certain weight to lead to health issues in a particular person.
Moving Toward Better Measurements
Other measurements can help provide a complete assessment of whether you have an unhealthy weight. Waist circumference is one way to measure excess fat around the midsection, which tends to carry a higher risk of conditions like heart disease and diabetes than excess fat stored on the hips.
A waist circumference of more than 35 inches for women or more than 40 inches for men can indicate an increased risk of weight-related health issues and can be used to consider whether you’re overweight or have obesity.
Major global bodies, such as the World Health Organization and the International Diabetes Federation, recognize lower waist circumference thresholds for Asian populations due to their higher metabolic risk at lower visceral fat levels.
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