Body mass index, based on height and weight, is a key indicator of obesity but waist size is just as important, says internist Dr. Roshini Raj. Watch this video to learn if you should whittle your middle.
Body mass index was a more traditional way of determining whether someone is obese or on their way to becoming obese and it involved the calculation with your height and weight but we're learning now that where you carry your weight is just as important as how you're carrying your weight or how much weight you have.
We know that people who are the apple shape or people with more fat in their abdominal area are at higher risk for things like heart disease or even cancer, so the weight circumference measure is more important now that the BMI or the body mass index its very important to make sure that your weight circumference is less than half of your total height.
Roshini Raj, MD, is a board certified gastroenterologist and internist with a medical degree from New York University School of Medicine. She is an attending physician at NYU Medical Center/Tisch Hospital.
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