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UPBEAT - HEART SUPPORT IN WEST SUFFOLK

Body Mass Index.

Being too heavy is generally accepted as a bad idea (heart problems and diabetes to name but two risks), but how heavy is heavy? There are three main ways of working it out: Body Mass Index (BMI), which measures your weight relative to your height; your body fat percentage, which can only be done with specialist equipment, and your waist-to-height ratio. This last one is in vogue, because it takes account of fat stored around your middle, which is more dangerous for the heart.

Body fat percentage isn't so useful for women after the menopause (unless they want to depress themselves) because they tend to have a lower muscle mass and relatively high fat level. All results, though, need to be interpreted according to the individual's lifestyle: someone with a BMI of 26 who runs twice a week is likelier to be healthier than someone with a reading of 25 who has a poor diet and takes no exercise. The number crunch For BMI, work out your height in metres and multiply it by itself. In the case of someone 1.75m, that's 3.06. Then take your weight in kilograms - say 75 - and divide it by the 3.06. That makes your BMI 24.5. Below 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.5-25 is normal, 25-30 is overweight and 30-40 is obese.

For waist to height ratio, write your height (eg 5ft 6in) next to your weight measurement in feet and inches (eg 2ft 8in). For women, the ratio should be no more than 0.5 – that is, the waist figure shouldn’t be more than half the height. For men, the ratio should be no more than 0.4.

www.saga.co.uk/magazine October 2006

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