Digital News Report – Is it healthy be overweight? It appears that it depends on how your body stores fat and how fit you are according to Dr Peterson who is a contributor to Women’s Health magazine. On NBC’s Today Show they had Dr. Peterson discuss what is a healthy weight.
Peterson explained that doctors have traditionally used the the Body Mass Index (BMI) number might not be the best way to determine a person’s health. It is determined by the height and weight. Overweight is considered a number ranging from 25 to 30 and anything over 30 BMI is considered obese.
She continued to say that some fat is beneficial and yo-yo dieting may not be healthy. If you are a pear shaped women, you could be storing healthy fat. A pear shape is a person that stores fat around the hips and thighs but not on the waist. The fat located in those pear areas is more stable. It can release hormones, leptin and amylopectin, which can help to suppress your appetite and keep your blood sugar levels in check.
Petersen warns about yo-yo dieting and the dangers. She said that when your weight is going up and down you can slow your metabolism, you can gain weight in the long run. High blood pressure, gall stone and heart disease are other risks associated with yo-yo dieting.
But not all body fat is good fat she adds. Abdominal fat is hazardous to your health and being overweight is linked to several diseases. Visceral fat which are located next to your internal organ is not a good thing.
Fitness is the key and will reduce mortality by 50 percent she says.
Petersen offered another way to assess your health by determining your Waist to hip ratio. You divide your waist divided by your hip measurement. You should be between a .6 and .8 to be considered healthy. In addition to this Peterson also recommend to check to see if your blood pressure is under 120/80 and that you should know all your cholesterol numbers every 5 years. Another assessment to do at a check up would also be to measure your blood sugar to make sure that you are developing diabetes.