| Body mass index or calculating cholesterol? | | | | available home testing kits. The results show your |
| Doctors agree that a standard measure should be | | | | total cholesterol level, your low density lipoprotein |
| used to determine the general health of their | | | | level, your high density lipoproteins and your |
| patients. Body mass index or BMI was invented in | | | | triglyceride levels. By knowing these levels you |
| the 1800's by Adolphe Quetlet. He lived in Belgium | | | | can determine the amount of fat in your blood, |
| and was a mathematician and scientist rather than | | | | the triglyceride level. Your high density lipoproteins |
| a doctor. He created this index to calculate | | | | are seen as being good for the body and help to |
| whether patients were very obese, obese, normal | | | | keep the more harmful low density lipoproteins in |
| healthy weight or under weight. He worked out a | | | | check. And the low density lipoprotein and your |
| formula using your weight in kilograms and your | | | | total cholesterol level are a good indication of the |
| height in metres. His formula took your weight | | | | health if your cardiovascular system. Too high a |
| divided by the square of your height. The resulting | | | | level can result in cholesterol being deposited in |
| score he called the body mass index. | | | | the form of plaque within the arteries and may |
| BMI however does not take into consideration the | | | | cause a whole range of cardiovascular diseases in |
| water levels in the body or the amount of fatty | | | | the future if not kept in check. This can include |
| tissue or even the build of the person being | | | | blocked arteries leading to heart attacks or heart |
| assessed - bone size/structure. Body builders for | | | | failure and even strokes if parts of these plaque |
| example would be seen to have a high BMI level | | | | deposits break free and get lodged in the small |
| because of their extreme body muscle compared | | | | capillary tubes within the brain. |
| to maybe their height. The scale also is not | | | | When comparing the heart health of the patient |
| suitable for really tall people with large bone | | | | by body mass index to cholesterol levels, the BMI |
| structures. | | | | requires a degree of judgement by the doctor to |
| Calculating cholesterol by comparison measures | | | | determine what should be a suitable score for |
| blood fat and lipid content. Just a small sample of | | | | each patient that is outside of average build and |
| blood is required to do the test. The test can be | | | | height. Whereas the doctor has a standard |
| carried out by your doctor and hospital clinic, or in | | | | measure in calculating cholesterol levels. |
| your own home using one of the now readily | | | | |