BMI, body mass index, measures the weight to height ratio. Good news for those trending on the high side, according to the report in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), the optimum ratio is on the upper side of the index.

Currently, doctors define the normal range for BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. A BMI of 25-29.9 is considered overweight, while 30 or higher is obese. In the 1970s, the optimal BMI for the lowest risk of death was 23.7. By 1991-94, the optimal BMI had risen to 24.6, in 2003-2013, it reached 27.

Although the findings suggest the need to reevaluate the categories presently used to define overweight, which are based on data pre 1990s data, don’t start packing on those pounds. Health experts still maintain the risks of being overweight include diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cardiovascular disease – among other things.

Want to know your BMI? – BMI is calculated by weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared.

 

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