Adapted from U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services (2000). Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on
the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Available online:
http://www.health.gov
Use the chart to locate your height
and weight. The shaded regions on the chart correspond to normal and overweight
ranges based on body mass index (BMI). Keep in mind that this is only a guide.
It is not a tool to determine ideal body weight. It is a tool to help you see
whether your weight is increasing your risk for disease. People who are very
muscular or those who have very little muscle may not get an accurate BMI by
using their height and weight alone. Muscle weighs more than fat, so a muscular
person may appear to have a higher BMI, or a frail, inactive person may have
more body fat than is healthy.
For adults 20 years and
older:
- A BMI below 18.5 (shown in white) is considered
underweight.
- A BMI between 18.5 and 25 (green) is considered a
normal weight.
- A BMI between 25 and 30 (yellow) is considered overweight.
- A BMI of 30 or higher (red) is considered obese. If you are an
Asian, your health may be at risk with a lower
BMI.1
- A person who has a large change in
BMI, even if he or she is not overweight or underweight, should be evaluated to
determine the cause.
According to federal guidelines, a clinical diagnosis of
obesity also includes a determination of your waist circumference and risk
factors.
- If you are within the normal BMI range and your
waist measurement is lower than the cutoff, maintain that weight and check your
fitness level, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels.
- In men, a
waist circumference greater than
40 in. (101.6 cm) is considered
a health risk. Women who have a waist size larger than
35 in. (88.9 cm) are considered
at risk. In Asian people, health problems are seen with a smaller waist size.
In Asian women, a waist size of 32 in. (80 cm) or more raises the chance for
disease. In Asian men, a waist size of 36 in. (90 cm) or more raises the chance
for disease.2
- If you are in the
overweight (BMI of 25 to 29.9) or obese (BMI of 30 or higher) category and your
waist measurement is higher than the cutoff level, talk to your doctor about
other risk factors you may have, including type 2 diabetes, smoking, high blood
pressure, and high cholesterol. If you have two or more risk factors, your
doctor will probably advise you to lose weight and change your eating and
physical activity habits to reduce your risk factors for blood vessel diseases,
such as coronary artery disease (CAD), peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and
coronary vascular disease (CVD).
1Razak F, et al. (2007).
Defining obesity cut points in a multiethnic population. Circulation, 115(16):
2111-2118.
2Purnell JQ (2005). Obesity. In DC
Dale, DD Federman, eds., ACP Medicine, section 3, chap. 10. New York: WebMD.
