K. WOODWARD PERSONAL FINANCE
  • Start
  • WealthBlog
  • MyBooks
  • MoneySpot
  • Coach
  • Contact

Random Thoughts

Race and Body Mass Index

23/2/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
By Dr Harry
​
The body mass index (BMI) can be calculated by using a formula which relates your weight to your height. The result, a number, can be interpreted to give you an idea of whether you are overweight or obese.

One flaw of the BMI is that all the work which has been done to define what is normal was originally done on middle class white Americans in the early 20th century.

Some research has questioned the validity of this approach, because it may not be safe to assume that the BMI ranges for normal, overweight and obese can be applied to all races in the same way.

Firstly, when measuring weight this includes both fat and non-fat (like muscle, bone, water and minerals). If some ethnic groups have higher bone density or greater muscle mass than other ethnic groups, this would affect their BMI but it would not mean they had more fat; so classifying them as obese or overweight may be inaccurate.

PictureMuscle weighs more than fat
​One study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition relates measurements of body composition in black and white subjects and discovers that the non-fat content is greater in the black people studied compared to white subjects. This can be accounted for by an increased bone mineral density and/or protein content (muscle being the major protein).

The implication of this is that more black people may be classified as obese according to BMI than actually have excess body fat when body fat is measured directly. It is striking that according to US census bureau department statistics, a greater percentage of the black population are obese than the white population than perhaps would otherwise be the case.

Similarly you may find that at a particular BMI value, one ethnic group has more body fat compared to non-fat than another ethnic group. Yet the BMI interpretation currently does not factor race into the equation – there are no ethnicity-specific obesity classifications.

PictureSingapore (by boerx on Panoramio.com)
For example, a white person with a BMI of 25 has the same body fat content as a person from Singapore whose BMI value is 22. And for a white person with a BMI value of 30, the cut-off for obesity, a person from Singapore has the same body-fat content with a BMI value of just 27.

But some research shows the opposite effect in other Asian groups – e.g. those studied in rural Thailand . In this case the total body fat content which a white person has at BMI 25 would be the same body fat content a person from rural Thailand would have at a BMI of 27. In this case for a given BMI value, the white person has more body fat content. This most likely has a lot to do with the physical exercise which comes from working as a rural farmer in Thailand and has also been seen in young women in rural India.

In some countries where the population is not recognised as obese according to the World Health Organization classification, there is an increasing number of obesity related diseases such as diabetes and heart attacks. Although the WHO has considered this fact, their current advice is to keep the current BMI charts but to be aware of BMI values which should act as prompts for intervention. These include 23 (which is in the normal range but is approaching the start of being classified as overweight) and 27.5 (which is in the overweight range but is approaching the start of being classified as obese).

Researchers in some countries have therefore called for the WHO BMI cutoffs to be revised down to suit the needs of their own population and better act as a marker for risk to health.

Picture



Although your personal finances and your business success are my primary interest, I believe you only operate at peak efficiency when you're fit and healthy. If you feel good, it filters through to your work. To help you with that, click for your free ebook: The Quick Guide to Sexy
​
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    By Heather
    ​Katsonga-Woodward

    I'm always thinking, debating, considering and revising my views - some of those deliberations will be shared right here.

    Categories

    All
    6 Figure+ Business Course
    Baby
    Baby Shower
    Celebrity Lives
    Culture
    Days Out & Holidays
    Diy
    Economic Development
    Education
    Entrepreneurship
    Fashion
    Films
    Food
    Getting To Wealthy
    Healthy Weight
    I Just...
    Life Is...
    Malawi
    Moral Hazard
    Parenting
    Personal Finance
    Politics
    Productivity
    Property
    Psychology
    Retirement
    Social Progress
    Spirituality
    Technology
    Weight Issues
    Women Issues

    Archives

    June 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    July 2016
    November 2015
    June 2015
    February 2015
    November 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    November 2010
    October 2007
    January 2007


© 2007 - 2025 Heather Katsonga-Woodward, a massive personal finance fanatic.
** All views expressed are my own and not those of any employer, past or present. ** Please get professional advice before re-arranging your personal finances.
  • Start
  • WealthBlog
  • MyBooks
  • MoneySpot
  • Coach
  • Contact