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From Apply Now, Former About.com Guide to Senior Health

BMI Not So Important For Seniors

Wednesday August 9, 2006
Abdominal FatA new study has found that waist-to-hip-ratio may be a better indication of health risk than BMI or Body Mass Index. BMI is a way of measuring body fat by looking at height and weight. The problem is people over age 75 have a natural loss of muscle mass and bone mass that results in a loss of weight. Looking at waist and hip measurements is a better indicator in this age group of the amount of abdominal fat -fat that poses the greatest risk to health.

Abdominal fat puts you at higher risk of developing Type-2 diabetes and is also a risk factor for heart disease.

Photo ©2006 Marian Eure (licensed to About, Inc.)

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