Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a handy tool used to categorise individuals into different weight groups. BMI is not a direct measurement of body fat, but is an approximation of body fat. Therefore, it is more accurate than measuring body weight alone.
Waist circumference
Waist circumference is defined as the distance around your waist. Waist circumference measurement offers information about how fat is distributed in one’s abdominal region.
You can measure it on your own!
This measurement can be easily taken using a measuring tape around one’s abdominal region where the end of your ribs meets the top of your hip bone.
Body fat percentage
Body fat percentage is a part of body composition measurement. It refers to the proportion of one’s body weight composed of fat tissue, including both storage and essential fat.
Several methods (i.e. bioelectrical impedance analysis, skin-fold techniques, anthropometric methods, etc.) are available to measure body fat percentage. While the accuracy may vary, these methods provide a comprehensive picture of an individual’s health, fitness, and nutritional status, allowing for personalised interventions and improved outcomes.
Why You Should Know?
This information is crucial for assessing overall health status and identifying potential risks for various health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases.
This is particularly important as exceeding these recommended percentages is associated with an increased risk of developing NCDs like heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension.
Lipid Profile
Lipids are another term that refers to fats in our body, and they play a crucial role in our health.
A lipid profile refers to a comprehensive blood test that measures various components, including total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol (good cholesterol), LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol), and triglycerides.
Blood pressure
This parameter refers to the pressure of blood coursing through your arteries, which is a crucial indicator of your cardiovascular health.
It is measured in two numbers:
- Systolic pressure, the pressure when your heart beats.
- Diastolic pressure, the pressure when your heart rests between beats.
Blood glucose level
Blood glucose, derived from our foods, is our body’s primary energy source.
How does it work?
When we consume food, our bodies break it down into glucose, which is then released into the bloodstream. Insulin is the vital hormone that helps transport this glucose from the blood into the body cells. As such, disrupting this process can result in high blood glucose levels. For example, diabetes is a disease characterised by blood glucose levels consistently exceeding normal ranges.
Monitoring your blood glucose levels is essential as exceeding these ranges may indicate a risk of developing NCDs like diabetes.
