Know Your Health

What is BMI? CLICK HERE FOR YOUR BODY MASS INDEX

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measurement tool that compares the individual’s height & weight to give an indication of whether he/ she is overweight, underweight or at a healthy weight for height. However this is general advice for adults only. It does not apply to children, pregnant women or women who are breastfeeding. Also your BMI may not be accurate if you are an athlete or a weight trainer, have a long term medical condition or are over the age of 60 years.

A good way to determine if your weight is healthy for your height is to calculate your body mass index (BMI). Being overweight puts strain on your heart and can lead to serious health problems. These problems include:

Heart disease
High blood pressure
Sleep apnea
Type 2 diabetes
Varicose veins

More than 300,000 lives could be saved in the United States each year if everyone stayed at a healthy weight!

What is Type 2 Diabetes?

Type 2 diabetes is a chronic (lifelong) disease marked by high levels of sugar (glucose) in the blood. Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

Diabetes is caused by a problem in the way your body makes or uses insulin. Insulin is needed to move blood sugar (glucose) into cells, where it is stored and later used for energy.

When you have type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond correctly to insulin. This is called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance means that fat, liver, and muscle cells do not respond normally to insulin. As a result blood sugar does not get into cells to be stored for energy.

When sugar cannot enter cells, abnormally high levels of sugar build up in the blood. This is called hyperglycemia. High levels of blood sugar often trigger the pancreas to produce more and more insulin, but it not enough to keep up with the body's demand.

People who are overweight are more likely to have insulin resistance, because fat interferes with the body's ability to use insulin.

Type 2 diabetes usually occurs gradually. Most people with the disease are overweight at the time of diagnosis. However, type 2 diabetes can also develop in those who are thin, especially the elderly.

Family history and genetics play a large role in type 2 diabetes. Low activity level, poor diet, and excess body weight (especially around the waist) significantly increase your risk for type 2 diabetes.

What is High Blood Pressure?

Another name for high blood pressure (HBP) is hypertension (hi-per-TEN-shun).

High blood pressure means the pressure in your arteries is elevated. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. It’s written as two numbers, such as 112/78 mm Hg.

The top, systolic, number is the pressure when the heart beats. The bottom, diastolic, number is the pressure when the heart rests between beats.

Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. If you’re an adult and your systolic

pressure is 120 to 139, or your diastolic pressure is 80 to 89 (or both), then you have

“prehypertension.”

High blood pressure is a pressure of 140 systolic or higher and/or 90 diastolic or higher that stays high over time. No one knows exactly what causes most cases of high blood pressure. It usually can’t be cured, but it can be controlled. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. It is truly a “Silent Killer.” About 72 million Americans and 1 in 3 adults have it, and many don’t even know they have it. Not treating high blood pressure is dangerous. High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack and stroke. You can live a healthier life if you treat and control it!