DEAR DR. ROACH: Is there any guidance about adjusting BMI to reflect diminishing height? Age, plus a curved spine, has left me at least two inches shorter than my height when I was middle-aged. My weight has remained stable, but the shrinking height data point now places me in the “overweight” category. I’m already careful with my diet and exercise, and I’m not eager for further restrictions. — L.
ANSWER: The body mass index (BMI) is a formula intended to correct a person’s weight for their height and give a single number to describe whether a person is overweight. Honestly, I don’t worry about a BMI in the “overweight” category (25-30), because it does not put a person at higher risk for medical complications.
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