Weight is one of many data points used by health care professionals to assess a person’s physical health. While research continues to evolve regarding the role body weight plays in overall well-being—and no single ideal weight exists for all individuals—a number of standardized weight charts are still used regularly. These charts can help one understand weight ranges that can support their health and minimize their risk of developing chronic health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Read on to explore these various charts, which connect a person’s weight to their height, age and gender.

What Is a “Healthy” Body Weight?

Determining a person’s “healthy” weight can be a challenging task because their age, height, gender, muscle-to-fat ratio, body type and even ancestry can all play a role, says Nia Schwann Mitchell, M.D., a general internist and associate professor at the Duke University School of Medicine in Durham, North Carolina. Charts and guides, however, can offer information from a population health perspective—what researchers deem healthy or unhealthy based on the results of studies of large groups of people. This population health information can help an individual determine whether they’re likely a healthy weight, but only their health care provider and more personalized considerations can accurately assess their situation.

How Does Body Weight Affect Overall Health?

Many people obsess over specific weight numbers, but experts don’t, says Dr. Mitchell. Numbers on a scale or a published chart are only indicators. “We are far more concerned with what we call weight-related comorbidities,” conditions that can include (but aren’t limited to) diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), obstructive sleep apnea, hyperlipidemia or osteoarthritis. Health care providers see weight as one indicator that may help them understand a person’s health needs better, as it tips them off to whether they should explore other health metrics to determine if the person is healthy or potentially at risk for disease. Medical professionals can also use this information to determine whether a person could benefit from weight loss or other interventions.

Generally, people who carry a lot more weight than a weight chart suggests they should—or have a higher body mass index (BMI) than a chart indicates is typical for their height—more often experience weight-related health conditions, but this association isn’t true of all cases, says Dr. Mitchell.

Weight Chart by Height

A person can quickly estimate whether they tend to maintain a healthy weight by pairing their weight and height measurements.

Body Mass Index (BMI)

BMI is a calculation that attempts to gauge body fatness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A high BMI indicates possible high body fatness while a low BMI indicates possible low body fatness. BMI generally screens for weight categories that might lead to health problems, but it’s not a diagnostic tool that can accurately determine body fatness.

To calculate BMI, one simply divides their weight in pounds by their height squared, then multiplies by 703. So, if you weigh 145 pounds and stand 5-feet-5-inches tall, calculate your BMI with the following equation:

• 5’ 5” = 65”
• 65 x 65 = 4,225
• 145 ÷ 4225 = .03431953
• .03431953 x 703 = 24.12, which is a BMI that falls into the normal-weight range

For an even easier calculation, use the Forbes Health BMI calculator by entering weight and height information.

BMI categories are as follows, according to the National Institute of Health:

• Underweight = Below 18.5
• Normal weight = Between 18.5 and 24.9
• Overweight = Between 25 and 29.9
• Obesity = 30 and above

Pros and Cons of Using BMI to Determine Ideal Weight

BMI is a simple and convenient measurement that’s often used in health care settings, but it’s not always an accurate indicator, says Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D., a Mayo Clinic obesity expert and cardiologist based in Rochester, Minnesota. “BMI is merely an index related to height and weight—not a direct measure of body composition.”

Dr. Lopez-Jimenez says BMI often works as a general indicator, but he warns that it’s less useful for athletes and bodybuilders. For example, a small study in the European Scientific Journal following 13 college baseball players classified all of the athletes as overweight when using BMI. Meanwhile, a skinfold assessment using skin calipers—a more accurate method of body fat estimation—determined only two of the athletes had overweight[1].

In addition, Dr. Mitchell warns that since BMI charts weren’t initially developed using diverse populations, they may not be the best guides for everyone. For example, research suggests people of Asian descent experience significant mortality risks starting at a BMI equal to or greater than 25 rather than the BMI of 30 that’s considered an indicator of obesity and high risk for most populations[2].

BMI also doesn’t factor in the location of fat on the body. People who carry fat in their hips and buttocks (“pear shaped”) tend to be at lesser risk for health problems compared to people with the same BMI who carry fat in their abdomen (“apple shaped”). In fact, even with a normal BMI, apple-shaped postmenopausal women may face a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than pear-shaped postmenopausal women, according to a 2019 study in the European Heart Journal[3].

Weight Chart by Age and Gender

There isn’t a set “normal” or “healthy” weight for men or women based on age, but age can influence weight. After age 30, body fat tends to increase for both men and women often due to hormonal shifts. For men, weight gain tends to continue from age 30 until age 55, but for women, it continues until about age 65. At these junctures, age-related weight gain often halts, and many people actually go on to lose weight.

The CDC and National Center for Health Statistics provide growth percentile weight charts for male and female children and adolescents up to 20 years old, but such guidance doesn’t exist for adults over the age of 20.

Caveats to Evaluating Weight by Age and Gender

Generally, it’s not ideal to judge a person’s weight based on their age or gender because these very broad metrics fail to include a number of other personalized factors that can more accurately determine a healthy weight range for an individual. What’s more, gendered weight charts are limited by the fact that they can only provide estimates for people “born as male” or “born as female,” which may not be applicable for all people.

Other Helpful Ways to Determine Your Ideal Body Weight

There are a couple of other ways one can determine whether they’re at increased risk for weight-related health problems, including measuring their waist-to-hip ratio and body fat percentage.

Waist-to-Hip Ratio

Since location matters when it comes to body fat storage, waist-to-hip ratio can provide a helpful indication of a person’s weight-related health risks as well.

Using a tape measure, an individual can find their waist measurement by measuring their circumference slightly above their belly button. For a hip measurement, find the circumference at the largest part of the hips. Divide the waist circumference by the hip circumference to find the waist-to-hip ratio.

Abdominal obesity can be defined by a waist–hip ratio above 0.90 for men and above 0.85 for women, at which point a person can be at increased health risk, according to the World Health Organization.

It can be difficult to achieve an accurate waist-to-hip ratio when self-measuring. Furthermore, this method can provide skewed results for petite people (under 5 feet tall) and those with muscular hips.

Body Fat Percentage

Determining body fat percentage—the percentage of a person’s total body weight that’s composed of body fat in proportion to lean mass, organs, tissues and water—is a far better gauge of overall health than an indicator like BMI, says Dr. Lopez-Jimenez.

In fact, in his clinic, body fat measurements are part of a routine physical assessment. “We’re mindful that there are people who have normal BMI and sometimes even thin people who have high body fat,” he says. Dr. Lopez-Jimenez refers to this situation as normal weight obesity. People who fall into this category show a high degree of metabolic dysregulation, making them candidates for cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, cholesterol and type 2 diabetes despite being thin or normal weight, he explains.

There are many methods for measuring body fat percentage. While a skin fold assessment with manual skin calipers is often the most affordable and accessible, it’s prone to error unless the practitioner using the calipers is well trained, says Dr. Lopez-Jimenez. Meanwhile, bioelectric impedance scales are easy to use at home but don’t offer the most accurate information. Other measurement methods available in a health care setting include bod pods, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scans, hydrostatic weighing and CT scans, which are generally accurate but often expensive.

Limitations to the Value of Weight as it Relates to Overall Health

It’s possible to have a normal weight according to a weight chart and still have any number of conditions typically related with overweight and/or obesity. It’s also possible to have a BMI consistent with overweight or obesity according to a weight chart and not experience any other related health conditions, explains Dr. Mitchell.

Furthermore, any gender-informed weight charts are constructed with data from people born as male or born as female. If this type of measurement isn’t appropriate for you, speak with your health care provider to find a better way to determine your ideal weight, advises Dr. Mitchell.

Unfortunately, weight bias in health care is also widespread, negatively prejudging individuals based on their body mass and size. Weight charts and the labels they use can reinforce this bias in health care, which can prevent some people from seeking and receiving proper medical attention, potentially further hindering their health.

Ultimately, it’s important to remember that no single ideal weight exists for all individuals. Instead, it’s beneficial to take a more comprehensive approach to assessing a person’s health.

Contributor : By Victoria Clayton & Rafael Sepulveda Acosta, M.D.
Source: Forbes HEALTH