This article presents gastrointestinal and endocrine complications related to anorexia. It explains metabolic adaptations activated by the body to enable the survival of patients with very low body mass index (the lowest reported BMI was only 6.7 kg/m²).
A BMI nearing 15 is usually used as an indicator for starvation and the health risks involved, with a BMI <17.5 being one of the DSM criteria for the diagnosis of anorexia nervosa.
If your BMI is below 20: Under Weight
This indicates a lean BMI, which means you have a low amount of body fat. If you are an athlete, this can be desirable. If you are not an athlete, a lean BMI can indicate that your weight may be too low, which may lower your immunity.
BMI ranges
Your BMI will fit into one of 5 bands: under 18.5 – This is described as underweight. between 18.5 and 24.9 – This is described as the 'healthy range'. between 25 and 29.9 – This is described as overweight. between 30 and 39.9 – This is described as obesity.
BMI changes substantially with age. After about 1 year of age, BMI-for-age begins to decline and it continues falling during the preschool years until it reaches a minimum around 4 to 6 years of age. After 4 to 6 years of age, BMI-for-age begins a gradual increase through adolescence and most of adulthood.
For most adults, an ideal BMI is in the 18.5 to 24.9 range. For children and young people aged 2 to 18, the BMI calculation takes into account age and gender as well as height and weight. If your BMI is: below 18.5 – you're in the underweight range.
If your BMI is less than 18.5, it falls within the underweight range. If your BMI is 18.5 to <25, it falls within the healthy weight range. If your BMI is 25.0 to <30, it falls within the overweight range. If your BMI is 30.0 or higher, it falls within the obesity range.
A normal BMI for an adult is 18.5-25. Above that you are overweight and below that you are underweight. Adults with anorexia have a BMI below 17.5. If you are under 18 years of age, normal weight is assessed by using special age-related BMI charts.
If your BMI is: under 18.5kg/m2 – you are considered underweight and possibly malnourished. 18.5 to 24.9kg/m2 – you are within a healthy weight range for young and middle-aged adults. 25.0 to 29.9kg/m2 – you are considered overweight.
Models with very low BodyMass Index (BMI) are regarded as size 0 models. It is a measure of body fatbased on height and weight of a person.
In reality, your body responds to eating below your BMR the same way it responds to calorie restriction of any sort—it simply breaks down more body fat to keep your organs supplied with energy. Thus, there's nothing inherently bad or unhealthy about eating below your BMR.
BMI <18.5: underweight. BMI 18.5–24.9: normal weight. BMI ≥25.0: overweight. BMI ≥30.0: obesity.
Women with a BMI of less than 18.5 are considered underweight. The average woman's height is 5 feet, 4 inches. If you weigh 107 pounds or less at this height, you are considered underweight with a BMI of 18.4. A healthy weight range for that woman would be 108 to 145 pounds.
The American Dietetic Association (ADA) defines the ideal body mass index (BMI) as between 20 and 25. Thus, anyone below that range would be considered underweight and those with a BMI from 18.5 to 17.5 extremely underweight.
for hospitalization:
BMI < 13 is an indicatior for certification under the Mental Health Act if the patient refuses admission although BMI < 13 alone is not enough for admission.
It's far more common than you realize to have anorexia but not be “underweight.” Yes, you did read that right! Anorexia is not just diagnosed in small, thin bodies. It's diagnosed in larger bodies too. And yes, that includes people whose BMI categorizes them as “overweight,” or “obese.”
Kate Upton- BMI= 20 (Perfect body)
She was also the subject of the 100th-anniversary Vanity Fair cover.
Your BMI of 21 shows that you are of a healthy weight. There is no reason to take weight loss surgery into consideration and diet should only be adopted for short periods of time. Useful information: If you have a BMI of 29 or greater than 29 a bariatric surgery procedure will be needed.
For women and men, the following BMI ranges indicate your weight status: 18 or lower: underweight. 18.5 to 24.9: normal, healthy weight. 25 to 29.9: overweight.
Normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9.
Body mass index (BMI) relates weight to height in a normalized index that was first published in Quetelet's 18th Century treatise on 'the average man'. BMI is defined as weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in metres) squared.
Average BMI increased significantly from 23.7 (SD = 3.4) to 25.4 (SD = 3.8), with equivalent increases for both genders. Proportion of obesity (BMI ≥ 30) increased from 4% to 11% for women and 5% to 13% for men.
What are the risks of being underweight? If you are underweight, you may be at greater risk of certain health conditions, including malnutrition, osteoporosis, decreased muscle strength, hypothermia and lowered immunity. You are more likely to die at a younger age.