What Are Your Most Important Health Markers?
If you’re following the Olympics this year, you may have heard Ilona Maher famously sharing that she has a body-mass index (BMI) of 30. As an almost 6-foot-tall rugby player, she uniquely understands that her weight may not be the most important factor for her health. But is she an outlier, or is there more to this story for those of us that aren’t high-performing athletes?
Contrary to what you may think, weight isn’t the singular predictor of overall health. Many people can be healthy at a higher weight than you might expect, and many people can be less healthy at lower weights, confirms Jamie Nadeau, RD. Plus, weight distribution—or where you store your weight—might be more important than the number on the scale alone, says Spencer Nadolsky, D.O, medical director for Weight Watchers.
We spoke to health care providers and dietitians to discuss the nuance here, and find out which health markers are just as important—or possibly more important—than weight.
Excerpted from Eating Well
