The Body Mass Index (BMI) is now used to determine weight status relative to your height. The BMI correlates more highly with body fat than any other indicator of height and weight.³ The American Heart Association, American Dietetic Association, and National Institutes of Health web sites are good resources to calculate your BMI online. BMI can be calculated using the following formula:

A BMI of 25 or more is considered a risk for premature death and disability as a consequence of overweight or obesity.^2,4 Obesity typically raises blood pressure and cholesterol levels and lowers good cholesterol levels (HDL). It is a major risk in developing coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, and diabetes, and affects triglyceride levels, insulin resistance, and increases the ability to make blood clots.³ Overweight and obese individuals are also at increase risk for the development of congestive heart failure, gallstones, gout, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea and other respiratory problems, some types of cancer, complications of pregnancy, poor female reproductive health, bladder control problems, and psychological disorders.⁴

Behavior, the environment, and genetics can all play a role in being overweight or obese. Behaviors and environmental conditions can certainly be changed. When considering weight management:

Consult your physician to make sure you don’t have diabetes, high cholesterol, and/or high blood pressure that may need to be treated while you are losing weight

Check with your insurance company to see if you qualify for a nutrition consult with a dietitian

The American Heart Association has a section on managing your weight under the Healthy Lifestyle section of their web site at www.americanheart.org and includes information on:⁶

• Kicking those bad habits

• Developing an eating plan

• Becoming more physically active

The American Dietetic Association also has great information on their web site www.eatright.org and there is a local Georgia affiliate.

The American Heart Association guidelines for primary prevention advocates a consumption of a variety of fruits, vegetables, grains, low-fat and nonfat dairy products, fish, legumes, poultry, and lean meats. They encourage matching the calorie intake with the energy needs. Modify food choices to make the intake of saturated fats < 10% of the total calories for the day and total daily cholesterol intake of < 300 mg. They also recommend limiting salt intake to < 6 grams per day and limiting alcohol intake (for those you drink) to 2 drinks or less per day for men and 1 drink or less per day for women.⁶

¹American Heart Association: Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics - 2004 Update

²National Center from Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Nutrition & Physical Activity Fact Sheet.(from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at www.cdc.gov)

³Assessment of Cardiovascular Risk by Use of Multiple-Risk-Factor Assessment Equations Circulation: 1999; 100: 1481-1492

⁴National Institutes of Health. Clinical guidelines on the identification, evaluation, and treatment of overweight and obesity in adults. Bethesda, Maryland: Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1998.

⁵American Heart Association: Healthy Lifestyle at www.americanheart.org

⁶Pearson, TA, Blair, SN, et al. AHA Guidelines for Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke: 2002 Update. Circulation 2002; 106: 388.