New research coming out of UCLA is proving that having a high BMI (body mass index) does not make a person unhealthy. For years we’ve been told that having a high BMI is unhealthy and there’s a special method of calculating a person’s BMI and what it should be. To calculate your BMI you would take your weight divided by the square of your height, or you can use this online calculator. Now researchers at UCLA have written a paper indicating that a person with a high BMI could be just as healthy or healthier than a person with an ideal or low BMI.
“Many people see obesity as a death sentence,” said A. Janet Tomiyama, an assistant professor of psychology in the UCLA College and the study’s lead author. “But the data show there are tens of millions of people who are overweight and obese and are perfectly healthy. This should be the final nail in the coffin for BMI.”
The researchers say that BMI shouldn’t be used as an indication of good or bad health but other factors should, such as blood pressure and cholesterol, glucose and triglyceride levels. Researchers have also found that having a low BMI doesn’t mean the person is actually healthy, just skinny and there is a difference.
“There are healthy people who could be penalized based on a faulty health measure, while the unhealthy people of normal weight will fly under the radar and won’t get charged more for their health insurance,” she said. “Employers, policy makers and insurance companies should focus on actual health markers.”
Perhaps the old saying of “you are what you eat,” makes sense here. Eating a diet of fast food, fried foods and sugary treats could raise your blood pressure, cholesterol, glucose and triglyceride levels while eating a balanced diet will keep those things in check. It is definitely some interesting research and you can hit the UCLA link below to find out more.
[button link=”http://qz.com/611698/54-million-americans-have-been-incorrectly-labeled-as-unhealthy/” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: qz[/button] [button link=”http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/dont-use-body-mass-index-to-determine-whether-people-are-healthy-ucla-led-study-says” icon=”fa-external-link” side=”left” target=”blank” color=”285b5e” textcolor=”ffffff”]Source: UCLA[/button]Last Updated on January 23, 2017.
