HEALTHY BODY WEIGHT PROMOTION
How to tell if a body weight is ideal? This is not quite a scientific problem. To determine how much is an ideal body weight, it takes promoting the health and the longevity as standards. Everyone has different body size and skeletal size, and for assessing weight in relation to height, The index taken is the Body Mass Index, BMI. The formula is as follows:
BMI = Body Weight (kg) / Height (m2)
The ideal index which is the best for health and longevity is 22, within the range of +10% is the ideal one, for both men and women. A lower BMI usually suits for the youngsters while a higher BMI suits for the elders. According to the BMI and body height, the ideal body weight can be calculated.
| Weight Classification and Standards for Adults | |
| Classification | Body Mass Index |
| Underweight | BMI ＜ 18.5 |
| Normal | 18.5 ≦ BMI ＜24 |
| Overweight | 24 ≦ BMI ＜ 27 |
| Mild Obese | 27 ≦ BMI ＜ 30 |
| Moderate Obese | 30 ≦ BMI ＜ 35 |
| Severe Obese | BMI ≧ 35 |
The definition of obesity is when there is excessive fat accumulation in human body. Based on the body weight, a normal body fat percentage for men ranges from 12-20% while for women is 20-30%. For maintaining health, the lowest body fat percentage is respectively 3% and 10-12% for men and women. It is harmful for health for having too little body fat like it may cause menopause on women.
As adults do not grow up anymore, the increase in body weight means increase in body fat so that a too-high BMI might mean obesity. According to the regulations of the Ministry of National Defense of Taiwan, men whose BMI is over 33 can be exempted from military service. Athletes who are well-built might be having higher BMI but not certainly obese.
The BMI has an impact on longevity too. People who are underweight or overweight (based on the BMI gradings) are not more long-lived than people who have BMI between 22-25 and have higher possibility to get diseases. So it is very important to maintain an ideal body weight.
According to different research reports, a too-high BMI will substantially increase the risk of getting certain diseases. For example, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, arthritis, infertility etc. The higher the BMI, the higher the possibility of getting diseases. The BMI is closely related to health. Once the BMI is over 24, a lots of harmful factors which lead to various obesity-related diseases will start inceasing.