www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2JhhWZz9Ys&mode=related&search= - 55k -
Posted on 08/08/2006 7:00:28 AM PDT by jdm
Aug. 7, 2006 — Last week President Bush underwent his annual physical. It revealed he was in pretty good health, except for one thing. According to his body mass index, he's overweight.
His BMI was 26, putting him in the lower range of the overweight category. He weighs 196 pounds, meaning he has gained 5 pounds since last year and his percentage of body fat has increased to 16.8 percent, which is, overall, pretty good for a man who just turned 60. (To calculate your BMI, go here).
Still, the appropriate body weight range is 157 to 192 pounds for a 5-foot, 11-inch man. Is there cause for alarm? Should the president go on a diet?
Possibly, dietitians say.
"When you're 60 and your BMI is 26, it's a risk," says dietitian Cathy Nonas, a spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. "As you get older, you are more prone to other ailments — diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular disease. It is helpful to not add another BMI point each year."
The notion that everyone gains weight as they age is not an excuse, say health care professionals.
"I don't know if I would say he's overweight, but if you look at the trend, increasing body weight is not a good pattern," says Leslie Bonci, director of Sports Nutrition at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. "This weight gain trend is important as we get older."
While some experts have voiced concern over the president's weight, others say he has nothing to worry about. And one leading nutrition researcher believes BMI alone does not provide enough information to make a decision.
"In men, BMI is particularly misleading because of muscle mass. I would like to know the president's waist circumference. It appears the president is pretty healthy. However, if he's beginning a trend of gaining 5 pounds a year, that is not a good thing," says Barbara Rolls, head of nutritional sciences at Penn State University.
And J. Larry Durstine, president of the American College of Sports Medicine, says he believes the president should be recognized as a leader in maintaining good health.
"If 60 percent of Americans had a BMI of 26 or less, we would have a healthier population," he says.
So why is Bush technically overweight?
Body mass index is the ratio of a person's weight to height and is meant to indicate how likely someone will develop an illness, such as heart disease, because of his or her weight. A BMI of less than 25 has a low risk. A BMI between 26 and 29.99 is considered overweight and anything higher than 30 is obese and poses a high risk. An individual with a BMI under 19 may be at risk for osteoporosis and, potentially, malnutrition.
However, there is controversy with using this formula, as it may overestimate risk or inaccurately put someone in an overweight or obese category, especially men.
Although there are more precise ways of determining a person's percentage of body fat, BMI is perhaps the easiest and quickest measurement for the general population. Still, a BMI should always be taken into account with other measurements and tests, experts say.
"BMI cutoffs are not absolute about health risks," says Kelly D. Brownell, director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University.
In addition, "BMI is one thing in a constellation of risk factors that should be considered for cardiovascular disease, diabetes and metabolic syndrome," says Barry A. Franklin, director of Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital. "I would not be upset by a BMI of 26 and would consider other factors to gauge global health, including fitness, blood pressure, lipids. In this case, the president's values are all stellar."
Bush is not the only one to have a BMI that seems incorrect or perhaps a bit unfair. In his prime, as Mr. Universe, Arnold Schwarzenneger's BMI was 33. Jack LaLanne, the fitness guru, had a BMI of 26.1 when he turned 90.
The experts agree that because of muscle mass, BMIs can put some men in the obese category. However, some larger athletes are not only made up of extra muscle mass — some, such as football linebackers, have higher body fat levels as well.
One of the world's most famous athletes, Shaquille O'Neal, has struggled to keep his BMI low. At one point, the 7-foot-one Miami Heat teammate held the NBA's highest BMI at 31.6, according to an AP analysis. While he has lost some weight recently, Miami Heat officials refused to comment on his current status.
Cant't punctuate on one cup of coffee!
Leni
I agree, BMI is goofy. Just checked mine - BMI of 21. And I'm fat, Marilyn Monroe kinda fat, but fat nonetheless. The President is a rock.
This whole article is bull. GWB is the most fit President ever (period). Bill Clinton used to jog with a cup of friggin' coffee in his hand!!! Seriously. Bubba's "exercise" was for political show. The MSM gets more pathetic and desperate daily.
Think about the president's father and how we don't hear a peep about him having anything health related and he's over 80 I think and compare that to Clinton.
George HW Bush is a lot like my grandfather was full of adventure in good shape and still physically active at 80. Heck he even looks like my grandfather did (and my uncle looks like the President) My grandpa died in a car accident.
I could have done without that! Then again, maybe if I puke enough it will lower my BMI...
hey I have that same coffee mug!
"Your chester has fallen into your drawers.!!!!!!"
You can just keep my "Chester" out of this discussion.
:B
MSN is just grasping at straws.
If they had any vestige of brains they'd at least make it a comparison piece.
But I forget, they aren't at all interested in the trappings of non-partisanship.
I really can't believe he hasn't had a stroke yet.
And...what's up with "pretty good health" - I'd like to see any of THEN have a resting heart rate of 46!!!! You don't get that low of a resting heart rate by sitting around doing nothing. His cholesterol is fine and his blood pressure is fine...WHAT ARE THEY TALKING ABOUT???
ABC is going to have 75% of the U.S. pissed off at them for saying that HE's overweight, because that makes THEM obese! This report was really dumb to do if you want people to believe you, when you report stories.
ABC and Reuters - Dumb and Dumber
Whew - 19.7 - 20.3
Typical Clinton...look to others and your childhood for everything that you should be blaming your own self for! Excuses, excuses--his whole LIFE is making excuses!
TAFT II ;-)
The author has a fat mouth. What's SHE gonna do about that?
The important thing is that Bush and the Bodyguard were, most likely, packing some heat... Bush probably a 38 Snub Nose while the guard probably had a mini-M-16.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2JhhWZz9Ys&mode=related&search= - 55k -
You mean the lamestream is reduced to this?
ABC has all the credibility of some tabloid screaming about Bat Boy.
Here's another one:
http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/g42.htm
excerpt: "Clinton is 6 feet 2 inches tall, or perhaps 6 feet 2.5 inches tall [12]. From 1992 to 2001 his weight varied from 236 to 214 pounds [More]. The lower height and a weight of 226 gives him a body mass index of 29.1 kg/m/m -- overweight, but not quite obese."
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