Body Mass Index Calculator

Posted on March 1, 2009 by admin

Being healthy is a condition which more people in the world should be concerned about.  If you are healthy, you are generally feeling well, active, eating properly, and at a proper weight.  All of these factors will generally play into each other and work toward giving you the best chance possible of living a healthy lifestyle.  Many people don’t actually know what being healthy consists of.  They think that not getting sick will mean that they are healthy.  That’s a part of being healthy, but being at a proper weight will play a large factor in someone’s overall health.

This is why doctors came up with the Body Mass Index .  Using this formula, you will take your height and your weight and comparing the two numbers, calculate a number on a scale that determines how healthy your weight is.  The BMI formula dictates that if your body mass index number is between 18.5 and 25, you have a healthy weight.  A number that is 25-30 puts you into an overweight category.  Any number over 30 and your weight is defined as obesity.  If your body mass index number rates below 18.5, you are underweight.

When your body is not at a healthy weight, you are at many different health risks including heart disease.  No matter if your body mass index number is high or low, your body is malnourished.  If you are underweight, you are not getting all of the essential vitamins, minerals, and food product that you need to properly function.  A weak immune system will often arise in those who are underweight because your body is not getting enough supplements to have a strong, healthy way to fight off sickness and disease.  If you are overweight, your body is getting too many calories of the wrong sort and any of the good nutrients that you are receiving are simply being lost in the shuffle.

If your body is ranked in the obesity range, you will start to suffer from a weak immune system.  Your body will not be able to have the strong immune system that it deserves because all of your antibodies will be dealing with the digestion of food.  The antioxidants that help your body function will be in short supply and you will start to develop more illness within your body.  Heart disease is also a major risk.  Your blood pressure will start to grow because it will be harder to pump blood to all areas of an overweight body.  Your blood will grow thicker because it is not getting the nutrients it needs.  This will make cholesterol start to build up in your system.

Osteoarthritis is more common in those who have a high body mass index number.  Problems with the gall bladder as well as sleep apnea will commonly develop in people who’s body ranges into obesity.  In many cases, cancer is more common among people who have a high number from the BMI formula.  For this very reason, losing weight should be a priority for anyone carrying around extra weight.

A healthy weight can be achieved following a basic pattern, however.  Diet and exercise are two of the most important factors in getting a person to a healthy weight once more.  Eating foods that are high in protein, full of whole grains and high in fiber will help you start to lose weight.  Cutting out sugar and excess sodium and replacing these foods with more fruits and vegetables will aid in a healthy diet.  Getting rid of unnecessary fats, fried foods, and empty calories will all result in a healthier diet.

Exercise is important to get out of an obesity range as well.  When you exercise, you are toning your body to get rid of the fat and make your muscles more toned and stronger.  When you are looking to lose weight, there are a number of exercises that you can do which will give you the strength and the stamina to pull it off.  It’s important to always remember that when you are looking to get to a healthy weight and avoid the risk of heart disease, that exercise will always be an important factor.

As you start getting back toward a healthy weight and your weak immune system is no more, you should take the time to calculate what your new body mass index number turns into.  For this, you will use a body mass index calculator to figure out of you are still overweight or not.  The BMI formula will easily determine your progress and give you the best indication of how close you are to a healthy weight.  If you are malnourished, using the body mass index calculator as you start to gain weight can help you determine how close you are to being at the healthy weight that will give you the strongest lifestyle possible.

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Defining an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm

Posted on May 2, 2008 by admin

It can often be frustrating for people who are suffering from certain medical conditions to fully understand what exactly they are going through. The precise medical terms can often be confusing and it’s important for these people to understand what is happening to them in general layman’s terms. This can give anyone a basic concept of what is happening and will help them understand what, why, and how they are going to recover from this condition. This is especially true in the case of an abdominal aortic aneurysm . Upon first hearing this term, one might be very confused about what exactly it means in their life. Abdominal will naturally relate to the mid-section of the body. This is a place where the symptom is happening. The aorta is one of the parts that relates to the heart. In particular, the aorta is a major artery through which blood leaves the heart and passes to the remaining parts of the body. The abdominal aorta is the portion of the aorta running through the abdomen in a position which is lower than the diaphragm. Finally, an aneurysm is a condition which happens when a blood vessel widens, becoming dilated. In the case of an abdominal aortic aneurysm, the aorta begins to bulge at the part in the abdomen where the blood vessel itself begins to widen and grow weaker. A clinical diagnosis of an abdominal aortic aneurysm will tell you that if you are suffering from this condition, you are much more likely to have a rupture in your aortic valve. If you rupture, you are generally at a very high risk for death. There is not much that can be done to stop this internal bleeding before it is too late. Therefore, it is important to find treatment for aneurysm conditions before your body gets to a dangerous state. You will typically find a clinical diagnosis of an abdominal aortic aneurysm through a few different means. A simple X-ray may be able to determine if there has been a calcium buildup on the wall of the aneurysm. This can help determine if that calcium is collecting in that spot and may give indication of the presence of an aneurysm. This is not always a foolproof method, however. A much more effective means is by using ultrasonography. One of these ultrasound techniques can help to give a clear picture about the size and shape of an aneurysm. From here, after determining the state of the aneurysm, you will be able to find the best treatment for aneurysm specifics. Developing an abdominal aortic aneurysm will happen for a number of different reasons. Some are much more common than others and if you suffer from any of these specific symptoms, you may want to watch for the possibility of an abdominal aortic aneurysm. High blood pressure is one of these likely symptoms. The faster and harder that your heart is beating, the more likely you are to wear out the lining of your artery. Cigarette smoking will relate directly into this. Not only will cigarette smoking help affect high blood pressure, but it will also put you at a much higher risk of not only developing an aneurysm, but of experiencing a rupture. A condition called diabetes mellitus makes you much more likely to develop this type of aneurysm as well . The most common effect of an abdominal aortic aneurysm is the presence of arteriosclerosis in your body. The basic definition of this symptom is the hardening of the arteries. As the basic blood pathways that carry your blood from your heart to every part of your body start to grow older, they can start to harden as well. This hardening makes them less elastic and as a result, they will begin to grow thinner. The pumping of the blood, especially when you suffer from high blood pressure, will cause the artery wall to start to thin and an aneurysm will begin to grow at this spot in the aorta. Aneurysm symptoms are often rather hard to notice, however. In the case of arteriosclerosis, you may never know that you suffer from this condition until there is a problem. Typically, aneurysm symptoms will present themselves in the form of pain. A person may feel like they are having a deep, boring pain in their abdomen that will be persistent. Sometimes this pain will lessen when they change position, although this is not always the case. Other times, a person may feel as if they are experiencing a prominent abdominal pulsing. If either of these conditions occur, a doctor should be seen right away. Treatment for aneurysm symptoms will need to happen immediately. Everything from arteriosclerosis to high blood pressure should be determined through regular checkups. They will give you the greatest chance of noticing any major health problems before they become an issue. With a clinical diagnosis and the right treatment for aneurysm symptoms, you should be able to live a normal, healthy life for quite some time.

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BMI Index

Posted on March 7, 2008 by admin

Adolphe Quetelet, a Belgian scientist, was the developer of the ‘Quetelet Index’, which we know today as BMI (Body Mass Index). The calculation is done using a person’s weight and height to arrive at a BMI index (number) to measure their body fat. The BMI number assists physicians in diagnosing health problems that may be weight related. However, BMI should not be used as the only tool to determine if a person’s weight poses a health risk. A skinfold thickness test should also be carried out and, before making a final assessment, the physician should take the patient’s medical history, family history, diet and level of activity into account.

The formula for calculating BMI is:

METRIC: The person’s body weight in kilograms divided by the height in meters, squared.
IMPERIAL: The person’s body weight in pounds divided by the height in inches, squared.

Having arrived at the BMI number, using the above formula with weight and height, the following was established:

Below 18.5 – underweight.
18.5 – 24.9 – normal.
25.0 – 29.9 – overweight
30.0 and above – obese.

The international classification of underweight, overweight and obesity, according to BMI, is clearly shown by the WHO (World Health Organization). The World Health Organization has used BMI since the 1980s to observe obesity, as well as underweight conditions such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa. Symptoms of these eating disorders are explained in more detail later in this article.

Due to the fact that the BMI calculation uses weight and height, it is popular way to determine if a person is overweight or obese. It is an inexpensive and easy method to establish a person’s weight status in comparison to those of the general public.

A 1994 survey carried out in America using the BMI calculation revealed that 49% of women and 59% of men had a body mass of more than 25. This clearly indicates that more than half of population had weight problems. Four percent of women, and two percent of men, in the same study, had a BMI of more than 40 which is considered to be morbidly obese. Another survey, conducted in 2007, revealed that 63% of Americans were overweight, with 26% being in the morbidly obese category. This shows an alarming increase in weight problems over a 13-year period.

On the other side of the coin, a BMI of 15 indicates that a person is suffering with starvation, while someone with a BMI of 17.5 is considered to have a serious eating disorder, e.g. anorexia nervosa, or bulimia nervosa. Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder that, due to psychological dysfunction, causes the patient to believe they are overweight. People suffering with anorexia nervosa will starve themselves and even use diet drugs in an effort to prevent weight gain. This obsessive fear of gaining weight can often lead to death.

Unlike the sufferer of anorexia nervosa who endeavours to avoid food completely, the person with bulimia nervosa will have repeated episodes of binge eating, followed by self-induced vomiting. During the episodes of binge eating, there is a complete lack of control of how much, or what, they are eating. The abuse of laxatives and diuretics goes hand-in-hand with bulimia nervosa .

When calculating a BMI for children, it should be remembered that the criteria differs from adults. A child’s body fat will vary, depending on their age. In addition, boys and girls have different levels of body fat, especially during puberty. So, bearing this in mind, BMI in children and teens is age and sex related. The child’s individual bone and muscle density should be taken into account when calculating a BMI.

It must be pointed out that BMI is calculated by weight and height, and some people, for example athletes, may show a high BMI because their weight is made up of fat and muscle. In such cases, the BMI calculation does not reveal the accurate amount of body fat. The BMI calculation is high because of the increased muscle content, and therefore weight problems are unlikely. It must also be pointed out that weight is just one factor when establishing that a person is at risk of a disease. Other factors that should be taken into account are diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer, stroke, high levels of cholesterol, gall bladder problems, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and other respiratory conditions.

In addition abdominal fat, in the form of a person’s waist measurement, is considered to be health risk. Physical activity, or lack of it, must also be taken into account. A person who is overweight but does not carry excess weight around the waist has a much lower risk of developing an obesity-related disease. However, they must ensure that they do not put on any extra weight.

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