Tools

Body Mass Index (BMI)

The Body Mass Index, abbreviated to BMI is at the moment the most simple and scientifically most sound method to calculate your „normal weight“.

Normal weight is defined as the weight with the highest life expectancy, or in other words with the lowest mortality rates for people aged 20 to 50 years.

It calculates the weight in relation to your height and determines whether you run a (higher or average) risk of getting a disease.

The formula to calculate your BMI is: Weight (kg):Height (m):Height (m)

Classification	BMI (kg/m2)	Risk of disease
Underweight	<18,5	Increased
Normal weight	18,5 - 24,9	Average
Overweight	25,0 - 29,9	Increased
Obesity degree I	30,0 - 34,9	High
Obesity degree II	35,0 - 39,9	Very high
Obesity degree III	40,0	Extremely high

Waist-Hip Ratio

Another method to calculate the weight and your risk is the Waist-Hip Ratio. It calculates and characterizes the composition of your body fat and is a good way to determine whether one suffers from abdominal obesity which is a more riskier variety than other fat.

The formula calculates as follows: Circumference Waist (cm) : Circumference Hips (cm).

Form en this value must be < 1, for women < 0.85.

When one stays below these values, one has less risk to get the metabolic syndrome, when the values are higher, one has a higher risk to suffer from the metabolic syndrome*).

*) metabolic syndrom is a complex of various illnesses and risk factors that together increases the risk to suffer from arteriosclerosis and/or heart disease. These illnesses/risk factors are abdominal obesity (Waist-Hip Ratio > 1 for men, and > 0.85 for women), Diabetes Mellitus Typ2, Insulin resistance, high blood pressure, gout and high cholesterol levels. Reasons for the development of these types of illnesses/risk factors are genetic disposition, lack of exercise and malnutrition.