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Excessive
weight, as measured by BMI,
is not the only risk to your health. The location of fat on
your body is very important. If you are carrying fat around
the middle, mainly around your waist, you are more likely
to develop health problems than if you carry fat mainly in
your hips and thighs. This is appears to be true even if your
BMI falls within the
normal weight range. If you are a woman with a waist measurement
of more than 35 inches or a man with a waist measurement of
more than 40 inches you may have a higher disease risk than
people with smaller waist measurements because of where their
fat lies.
It is
easy to measure your waist circumference. Place a tape measure
around your bare abdomen just above your hip bone. Be sure
that the tape is snug, but does not squeeze or compress your
skin, and is parallel to the floor. Relax, exhale, and measure
your waist.
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Classification
of Overweight and Obesity by BMI, Waist Circumference,
and Associated Disease Risks
|
|
-
|
Disease
Risk * Relative
to Normal Weight and
Waist Circumference
|
|
-
|
BMI
(kg/m2)
|
Obesity
Class
|
Men
102 cm
(40 inches
or less)
|
Men
› 102 cm
(40 inches)
|
|
Women
88 cm
(35 inches
or less)
|
Women
› 88 cm
(35 inches)
|
|
Underweight
|
‹
18.5
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Normal
|
18.5
- 24.9
|
-
|
-
|
-
|
|
Overweight
|
25.0
- 29.9
|
-
|
Increased
|
High
|
|
Obesity
|
30.0
- 34.9
|
I
|
High
|
Very
High
|
|
-
|
35.0
- 39.9
|
II
|
Very
High
|
Very
High
|
|
Extreme
Obesity
|
40.0
+
|
III
|
Extremely
High
|
Extremely
High
|
*
Disease risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and CVD.
+ Increased waist circumference can also be a marker for increased
risk even in persons of normal weight.
SOURCE: National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute
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