{"id":38685,"date":"2025-11-06T07:00:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-06T07:00:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/?p=38685"},"modified":"2025-10-27T22:13:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-27T22:13:33","slug":"beyond-bmi-understanding-weight-body-composition-and-health-risks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/vitals\/beyond-bmi-understanding-weight-body-composition-and-health-risks\/","title":{"rendered":"Beyond BMI: Understanding weight, body composition &#038; health risks","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Body mass index (BMI) has long been a standard tool to assess if someone is at a healthy weight. Despite its prevalence in health care, BMI doesn\u2019t provide the whole picture when it comes to evaluating health risks related to weight.<\/p>\n<p>To better understand your health, the nuances of body composition, fat distribution and blood work should be taken into consideration.<\/p>\n<h2>What is BMI, and what\u2019s the problem with it?<\/h2>\n<p>Developed by a Belgian statistician looking for trends in population health \u2014 not people\u2019s individual health \u2014 BMI is a height-to-weight ratio calculated by dividing a person\u2019s weight in kilograms by their height in square meters.<\/p>\n<p>BMI measurement is classified into the following categories for adults over 20:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Underweight: Below 18.5<\/li>\n<li>Normal weight: 18.5\u201324.9<\/li>\n<li>Overweight: 25\u201329.9<\/li>\n<li>Obesity: 30 and above<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>\u201cBMI is pretty good for what it was intended, but it\u2019s based on European men in the 19th century, so it misclasses about a third of people, most commonly with women and different ethnicities,\u201d explains <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/provider\/valerie-sutherland\/\">Valerie Sutherland, MD<\/a>, an obesity medicine provider with <a href=\"https:\/\/updates-www.mccdn.io\/location\/deaconess-health-education-center\/multicare-rockwood-weight-loss-bariatric-surgery-center\/\">MultiCare Rockwood Weight Loss &amp; Bariatric Surgery Center<\/a>. \u201cWe know with certain ethnic backgrounds there are different BMIs that correlate with certain health risks.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>For instance, those with South Asian descent may face increased metabolic risks at a lower BMI compared to individuals of European descent.<\/p>\n<h2>What really matters: The type and location of weight<\/h2>\n<p>Another problem with BMI is that it can\u2019t distinguish between different types of fat, tell where weight is distributed in your body or account for muscle mass.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe address weight because of its impact on health. BMI is not very specific or precise for assessing health risk of weight, so it\u2019s important to look at what kind of extra weight a person has,\u201d Dr. Sutherland says. \u201cIs it visceral or subcutaneous? Is their weight in the trunk and upper body? The impacts and risks depend on the type and distribution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Subcutaneous fat is typically located in the lower part of the body and is relatively harmless. This fat is stored under the skin that acts as energy reserves.<\/p>\n<p>But when that storage capacity is exceeded, fat accumulates in the solid organs like the liver and pancreas. This is called visceral fat, which is carried in the trunk and upper body and linked to a variety of serious health conditions, including metabolic syndrome, cardiovascular disease and liver problems.<\/p>\n<p>Body composition \u2014 how much fat, muscle and bone a person has \u2014 is also more accurate than BMI in determining health risks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt MultiCare, we use bioimpedance analysis to measure body composition,\u201d Dr. Sutherland explains. \u201cIt\u2019s obtained by standing in bare feet on a scale with handles for about 60 seconds. A measurement is obtained at baseline and then about every three months during weight loss.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This analysis provides information on how much skeletal muscle a person has, the amount and type of fat they have, and where the fat is distributed \u2014 whether in the trunk or lower body.<\/p>\n<h2>Normal weight obesity and fat mass disease<\/h2>\n<p>A body composition analysis can also identify if you have normal weight obesity or fat mass disease. Knowing this can help with treatment.<\/p>\n<p>Normal weight obesity is a condition where a person has a normal BMI but low muscle mass and high visceral fat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople with normal weight obesity often restrict calories and do a lot of cardio to try to keep their weight down,\u201d Dr. Sutherland says. \u201cBut they actually need to eat more and focus on resistance training to gain muscle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Fat mass disease is characterized by an athletic body type, with excess weight in the form of excess muscle. This puts extra stress on their upper body, pushing on the heart and lungs, which can lead to sleep apnea or an enlarged heart.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Sutherland says people with fat mass disease tend to eat healthy foods, especially focusing on protein, but their portions are high because their body needs more fuel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cA person with fat mass disease doesn\u2019t need to eat so much protein and push the weights,\u201d Dr. Sutherland notes. \u201cThey may need to reduce portion sizes and do less intense heavy weight training and do low-intensity cardio like brisk walking.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Additional methods beyond BMI<\/h2>\n<p>Other measurements like waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio can provide more information about your health. Studies show that individuals with a waist circumference greater than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men are at a higher risk for metabolic diseases, regardless of their BMI.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe problem with waist measurement, however, is that it can vary based on where you measure, and there is not a universal definition of where the waist is,\u201d explains Dr. Sutherland. \u201cAnd, although it might indicate excess weight in the abdomen, it doesn\u2019t tell you what kind of fat a person has.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Imaging and blood work also provide valuable information.<\/p>\n<p>Imaging tests like abdominal ultrasounds or CT scans can help identify internal fat storage or plaque buildup in arteries, giving a clearer picture of your health.<\/p>\n<p>Blood tests like lipid panels, A1c and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels can provide insights into metabolic health that BMI alone cannot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOne of the most commonly missed diagnoses is metabolic syndrome,\u201d Dr. Sutherland says. \u201cEven if someone\u2019s BMI is within the normal range, they might still have elevated blood pressure, low HDL cholesterol and high triglycerides, all markers of metabolic syndrome.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>Follow your intuition<\/h2>\n<p>While BMI can be a useful tool in tracking trends in population health, it doesn\u2019t meet the mark when assessing an individual\u2019s health risk.<\/p>\n<p>If you feel like your BMI doesn\u2019t match your health reality, talk to a health care provider, like a medical weight loss specialist, who\u2019s equipped with the right tools and knowledge and can complete a comprehensive assessment.<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Body mass index (BMI) has long been a standard tool to assess if someone is at a healthy weight. Despite its prevalence in health care, BMI doesn\u2019t provide the whole picture when it comes to evaluating health risks related to weight. To better understand your health, the nuances of body composition, fat distribution and blood [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":451,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,87],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weight-loss","category-nutrition-wellness"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.6 (Yoast SEO v27.6) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Beyond BMI: Understanding weight, body composition &amp; health risks - MultiCare Vitals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BMI isn\u2019t enough to assess weight-related health risks. 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