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It doesn´t matter which way you turn, you´re going to run into someone discussing their BMI. BMI stands for Body Mass Index, and it is one of the most widely used diagnostic tools for patients with weight problems.

What is Body Mass Index Really?
In the 1800s, Belgian polymath, Adolf Quetelet, developed the BMI while studying social physics. Mathematically, the BMI is the person´s body weight divided by the square of their height. Because of its statistical consistence, the BMI is used throughout the world to identify if a certain person is underweight, just right, overweight or obese (grossly overweight, unhealthily overweight). In recent years, morbidly obese and super morbidly obese have been added to the BMI due to the increase in people weighing over 300 pounds.

There are many people who dislike the BMI because of the fact that it does not take into account the amount of body fat or the person´s underlying bone structure. There are those that are overweight according to the BMI, but have thicker bone structure or heavier muscle structure (mesomorphs).

How Does a BMI Calculator Work?
BMI calculators calculate a person´s BMI based on a simple equation of BMI = (pounds x 703)/(height inches squared). As stated above, this equation was designed by Adolf Quetelet in the 1800s, but it still holds true in today´s medical community.

How Does Waist Circumference Play a Role?
The National Institutes for Health have conducted studies regarding the part that waist circumference plays on a person´s health. People with a high waist circumference are at a higher risk for diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.

Measuring a person´s waist circumference puts many of the ´dislikers´ of the BMI (see above)at ease because it allows for a more accurate measurement of a person´s body fat. If a muscular person is rated as overweight on the BMI, measuring their waist circumference can determine if that person is indeed overweight.

How Does Being Overweight Effect Health?
This question is easy to answer. The BMI is meant to determine if someone is overweight or obese. An overweight person is at a higher risk for heart problems. With more fat and body mass to oxygenate, the human heart must pick up the pace. The more additional weight you have on your body, the more work your heart has to do to keep it all running. In some cases, the heart just can´t do all the extra work and heart attacks and strokes can occur.

Being overweight can also increase your chances of getting type 2 diabetes (diabetes brought on by being overweight). Poor diet can lead to problems in digestion and a failure in the endocrine system. The pancreas does a poor job of insulin regulation and diabetes can result.
Taking care to eat right and exercise goes a long way to staying healthy.

It´s commonsense that if being overweight leads to health problems, losing weight will increase good health. Eating right and exercising will bring you a heart that is stronger, a body that is able to rid itself of toxins and bad cholesterol, and an overall feeling of wellbeing that food cannot match.

More Information and Useful Tools:
If your BMI is greater than 25.0 and you are considered overweight. Use our free BMI calculator and find out your weight range! Understand the common obesity risks and find out effective weight loss solutions if you are being overweight.