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Using Your BMI to Predict Disease

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Using Your BMI to Predict Disease

May 06, 2021

Your body mass index can tell a lot about your health than just your weight. It can actually be an early indicator for conditions and diseases you might not even realize you have. On this Health Minute, Dr. Tom Miller with Ï㽶ÊÓƵ of Utah Health covers what your BMI says about you.

Episode Transcript

Interviewer: It's a simple test, but it can tell you a lot about your future health. Dr. Tom Miller, what can a person's BMI, or body mass index, tell you about a person's chance of developing certain diseases?

Dr. Miller: It is very useful and it's a quick and simple way to figure out if you're overweight, underweight, or even too low in weight. So people with an above-average BMI basically are more likely to have certain diseases that are common in our society, so high blood pressure, diabetes, and even heart disease over a long period of time.

Interviewer: All right. But I've heard that it's not always accurate, especially, like, if I have a large amount of muscle mass.

Dr. Miller: That's true, but for the average person, it's a pretty darn good measurement and it's a good place to start. So if you have a higher-than-average BMI, you should take steps to lose that excess weight on your own or if your BMI is pretty high, you probably ought to see a nutritionist or a provider to get help to lose that weight.

updated: May 6, 2021
originally published: March 31, 2017