Maintain Healthy Weight
In addition to feeling good about yourself, maintaining healthy weight
has many important health benefits. If you are either overweight or underweight,
your chances of developing health problems are increased. Being overweight
is common in the United States. It is linked with high blood pressure,
heart disease, stroke, the most common type of diabetes, certain cancers,
and other types of illness. Being underweight is a less common problem.
It occurs with anorexia nervosa and is linked with osteoporosis in women
and greater risk of early death in both women and men. Whether your weight
is "healthy" depends on how much of your weight is fat, where in your
body the fat is located, and whether you have weight-related medical problems,
such as high blood pressure, or a family history of such problems.
What is a healthy weight for you?
While there is no exact answer, researchers are trying
to develop more precise ways to describe healthy weight. In the meantime,
you can use the guidelines suggested below to help judge if your weight
is healthy. See if your weight is within the range suggested in the table
for persons of your age and height. The table shows higher weights for
people 35 years and above than for younger adults. This is because recent
research suggests that people can be a little heavier as they grow older
without added risk to health. Just how much heavier is not yet clear.
| Table. Suggested Weights for Adults
Height
(without shoes) | Weight in pounds (without clothes) |
| |
19 to 34 years |
35 years and over |
| 5'0" |
97-128 |
108-138 |
| 5'1" |
101-132 |
111-143 |
| 5'2" |
104-137 |
115-148 |
| 5'3" |
107-141 |
119-152 |
| 5'4" |
111-146 |
122-157 |
| 5'5" |
114-150 |
126-162 |
| 5'6" |
118-155 |
130-167 |
| 5'7" |
121-160 |
134-172 |
| 5'8" |
125-164 |
138-178 |
| 5'9" |
129-169 |
142-183 |
| 5'10" |
132-174 |
146-188 |
| 5'11" |
136-179 |
151-194 |
| 6'0" |
140-184 |
155-199 |
| 6'1" |
144-189 |
159-205 |
| 6'2" |
148-195 |
164-210 |
| 6'3" |
152-200 |
168-216 |
| 6'4" |
156-205 |
173-222 |
| 6'5" |
160-211 |
177-228 |
| 6'6" |
164-216 |
182-234 |
| Note: The higher weights in the ranges generally
apply to men, who tend to have more muscle and bone; the lower weights
more often apply to women, who have less muscle and bone. |
| Source: Derived from National Research Council, 1989.
|
Ranges of weights are given in the table because people of the same height
may have equal amounts of body fat but differ in muscle and bone. The
higher weights in the ranges are suggested for people with more muscle
and bone. Weights above the range are believed to be unhealthy for most
people. Weights slightly below the range may be healthy for some small-boned
people but are sometimes linked to health problems, especially if sudden
weight loss has occurred.
|
