BIO160 Canvas Discussion 2 Measures of Health

Can a person be “overweight” and healthy?

BMIs between 19 and 25 and body fat percentages between 12% and 20% for males and 20% and 30% for women are beneficial as “screening tests” to assess whether a person has a problem Significantly elevated health risk connected with obesity. Individuals with BMIs and body fat percentages over these ranges are more likely to be functionally obese, though not everyone is. Furthermore, many people in these specified ranges may develop in functional obese people. Most weight-related medical conditions are linked to insulin resistance and the bad effect of excess glucose, lipids, and insulin in the blood. As a consequence, I believe that maintaining fat cell activities that balance blood glucose, lipids, and insulin concentrations is more critical to health than maintaining “ideal” percentages of body fat or body weights. Improved diet and activity habits, as well as a minor weight reduction, will frequently produce normal blood concentrations of these chemicals and will normalize fat cell function regardless of body fat percentage. In my opinion, everyone, especially obese individuals, should exercise regularly and eat healthily. These behaviors will, for the most part, result in weight loss and the preservation of normal fat cell function. A focus on great health behaviors is more likely to deliver better health outcomes than a focus on weight. It is false to imply that only persons who are within statistically ideal weight and body fat percentage ranges may achieve health. In my opinion, everyone, especially obese individuals, should exercise regularly and eat healthily. Even when body weight and percentage body fat stay over recommended levels, indexes linked with high risk in obese people frequently return to normal with proper physical activity, nutritional habits, and a minor weight reduction. I feel that statistically generated norms for body weight and % body fat are adequate for use as a screening test but should not be regarded as stringent guidelines for everybody. (Abernathy & Black, 1966)

Works Cited

Abernathy, R. P., & Black. (1966). Healthy body weights: an alternative perspective. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 448s-51s. overweight and healthy.docx Download overweight and healthy.docx

Healthy body weights: an alternative perspective Links to an external site. ajcn%2F63.3.448.pdf Download ajcn%2F63.3.448.pdf