| In athletes, particularly bodybuilders who would be considered overweight due to muscle being heavier than fat, it is entirely possible that they are actually at a healthy weight for their body composition | Underweight women also have a higher chance of miscarriage in the first trimester• It is widely used as a general indicator of whether a person has a healthy body weight for their height |
|---|---|
| Mental illnesses such as clinical depression, anxiety, and others• Consult a healthcare provider for assessment | Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website |
| BMI table for children and teens, age 2-20 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends BMI categorization for children and teens between age 2 and 20 | The main difference between the PI and BMI is the cubing rather than squaring of the height in the formula provided below |
|---|---|
| Risks associated with being underweight Being underweight has its own associated risks, listed below:• It is not a substitute for professional medical advice | People who are overweight, do not have a high waist measurement, and have fewer than two risk factors may need to prevent further weight gain rather than lose weight |
Due to a wide variety of body types as well as distribution of muscle, bone mass, and fat, BMI should be considered along with other measurements rather than being used as the sole method for determining a person's healthy body weight.
29