![]() Body composition data for individuals 8 years of age and older: U.S. Body fat percentage - Are you at a healthy weight? (n.d.).Body composition information and FAQ's sheet.You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. However, this method does still provide a quick and useful clinical tool to assess health risks. Having a high body fat percentage or BMI does not always lead to health problems. There are many limitations to BMI and measuring body fat. For example, fat around the abdomen has higher health risks than fat in other areas. The location of body fat is also relevant to overall health. For example, the BMI of a person with high bone density and muscle mass may indicate they have high body fat.Īlso, BMI cannot assess where fat is in the body. These factors are relevant to overall health and assessing body fat. It makes no distinction between lean muscle, body fat percentage, and bone mass. Using BMI to assess body fat or overall health is another issue. This suggests there may be cultural or racial bias with body fat percentage ideals. These differences raise concerns about whether or not ideal body fat percentages are realistic.Īverage body fat percentages also vary across race and ethnicity. Even healthy people can have unusually high body fat. The BMI Table is a static tool to help you estimate your patients' body fat.Assessments of body fat consistently show that people have higher body fat percentages than official guidelines recommend. The BMI calculator uses Standard or Metric measures and is available in English or Spanish. The BMI Calculator is an easy-to-use online tool to help you estimate your adult patients' body fat. For more information about BMI percentile and growth charts for children, visit the CDC's Child and Teen BMI and NHLBI's We Can! web pages. A child or teen who is between the 85th and 95th percentile on the growth chart is considered overweight. A child or teen who is at the 95th percentile or above is considered obese. The growth charts use a child's BMI, age, and gender to produce a BMI percentile. It may underestimate body fat in older persons and others who have lost muscle.īMI for children and teens, 2 to 20 years old, is determined by using a BMI table that compares their weight and height along with growth charts.It may overestimate body fat in athletes and others who have a muscular build.The higher the BMI, the higher the risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, gallstones, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and certain cancers (e.g., colon, breast, endometrial, and gallbladder).Īlthough BMI can be used for most men and women, it does have some limits: People who are obese (BMI of 30 or above) almost always have a large amount of body fat in relation to their height. People who are overweight (BMI of 25–29.9) have too much body weight for their height. This ratio of weight to height is known as the body mass index (BMI). For adults, a healthy weight is defined as the appropriate body weight in relation to height. BMI is an estimate of body fat and a good measure of your patients' risk for diseases that can occur with overweight and obesity.
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