Body measures
Two simple numbers that say a lot about metabolic health: body mass index, using the lower cut-offs recommended for Asian adults, and the ratio of your waist to your height.
These measures describe body size, not health on their own. Muscle, age, ethnicity and fat distribution all matter. Your doctor can interpret them alongside blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
Sources
- WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet. 2004;363:157-163.
- Browning LM, Hsieh SD, Ashwell M. A systematic review of waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool for the prediction of cardiovascular disease and diabetes: 0.5 could be a suitable global boundary value. Nutr Res Rev. 2010;23(2):247-269.