Have you ever wondered what your Body Mass Index is all about? Essentially, the Body Mass Index, also known as BMI or the Quetelet Index was developed by Belgian Polymath Adolphe Quetelet between the years 1830 and 1850. It is a calculation used to measure one's body shape based on the measurements of height and weight.
Maintaining a healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) plays an important role in keeping a healthy lifestyle. This can be achieved by exercising regularly and maintaining healthy eating habits, which helps to arrest the development of many diseases such as coronary heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers.
DID YOU KNOW...?
BMI is considered the best proxy for one's fat percentage based on one's weight and height.
�2 As obesity became increasingly prevelant in Western societies, the BMI measurement helped medical professionals to discuss overweight and underweight problems more openly with their patients.
�2 BMI is used differently for children. It is calculated the same way as for adults, but then the results are compared to typical values for other children of the same age.
�2 In an anlaysis of 40 studies including 250,000 people, BMI failed to discriminate between body fat percentage and lean mass. The study concluded that "the accuracy of BMI in diagnosing obesity is limited, particularly for individuals in the intermediate BMI ranges.