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.
You mean the records that, among other revelations, relate how Bill had mumps at 14yrs of age and was sterile ever since?
How about Hillary's ATI (ankle thickness index)? Or maybe her TCI (thigh circumference index)?
What about the 3.5 pounds of useless fat between Ms. Stoler's ears? Could that be a hinderance to coherent thought?
Now that's a good one!
Another thing that I just noticed when I did my BMI is that they don't distinguish between male and female. What the heck is that about. So I am supposed to weight 124 pounds when I weigh 175. WTF? I hate the inaccurate BMI!!!
What do you have against us? I BEGGED you guys not to post those pictures. It's almost lunchtime and now I've lost my appetite. Not only that, but I have an irresistible urge to barf. Thanks a heap!
that sure is a BMI
Big
Massachsetts
Iddiot
Yep, it's straight outta the DNC playbook.
Remember this?
You are correct...
They tell you BMI is meaningless to people who are physically fit! Muscle weighs more than fat and causes any interpretation of BMI out the window!
I don't know how much BMI that is but Clinton has major moobs.
Calculated BMI's can only estimate, not measure, body fat. To actually measure body fat as a percent of mass you have to get into a giant graduated cylinder and see how much you displace. And, even that is imperfect.
Two people who are both 6" tall and weight 220lbs would have the same index. One is a sedentary guy with a roll around his waist. The other has been training for eight months for a heavyweight title match. Ratios of height to weight view these as equal. Measuring mass you will get closer (muscle takes less space than fat) but might still show the boxer as "fatter" than a sendentary six footer who is only 190 lbs. This would not be correct.
The caliper method is actually pretty good.
yep
You really wonder how the Dems can in their own minds justify all the nonsense they do for the $168,000 salary that a Congressman gets paid.
You might think "well it's the power." Yet when they are in power, they have no clue what to do.
OMG..just ate breakfast! BARF!
I could be if I lost 105 lbs...
Hah! Yes, male, but that was 8 years, and 20 pounds ago.. Just got back into it last month, so we'll see how that goes..
I begged 'em to stop, but NOOOOOO.
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