Page 14 - South Asia BioBank Sample Health Report

BODY MASS INDEX Your BMI 24.78 OVERWEIGHT YOU CAN LOOSE WEIGHT IF YOU

UNDERSTANDING YOUR BMI
By measuring your height and weight, we can calculate your Body Mass Index (BMI). This is a measure of whether you
are under weight, normal, overweight or obese. Your BMI can tell you if you’re carrying too much weight, but it can’t tell
the difference between excess fat, muscle, or bone.

24.78 EAT THE RIGHT PORTION SIZES

18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30+

UNDERWEIGHT NORMAL OVERWEIGHT OBESE
BELOW 18.5 18.5 23 23 27.5 27.5 AND ABOVE
EAT A HEALTHIER DIET
BMI IN SOUTH ASIANS
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has highlighted the need for a separate BMI cut-off limits for Asians. Research
studies have shown that South Asians have a higher percentage of body fat than European whites of the same age, sex
and BMI. The categories suggested for Asians are: less than 18.5 kg/m2 (underweight); 18.5–23 kg/m2 (normal);
23–27.5 kg/m2 (overweight) and 27.5 kg/m2 or higher (obesity).
READ FOOD LABELS AND AVOID
THINGS LABELLED IN RED
HOW CAN I STAY WITHIN A HEALTHY WEIGHT RANGE?
Through exercise, our muscles work better. The heart is also a muscle and through being physical active, it is able to work
better. Being active can reduce your risk of developing some heart and circulatory diseases by as much as 35%. Regular
physical activity:

Eat a healthier diet, including eating more of the foods that are good for us like fruit, vegetables and wholegrains and
less of foods and drinks high in fat and sugar. MOVE MORE
Being more physically active. Exercise uses up the energy from the food you eat. When you use up more energy than
you eat, you’ll burn fat. But if this energy doesn’t get used up, then it is stored in our bodies as fat. Aim for 20–30
minutes of activity a day. Swimming, cycling or walking quickly for at least 10 minutes at a time will help. Try to build
moving about into your day-to-day routine – even cleaning or walking up the stairs counts