What Are the Benefits of a Low BMI?

Your BMI or body mass index is an indicator of body fatness, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). BMI is found by dividing weight in pounds by height in inches squared and multiplying by a conversion factor of 703. This indicator can be used to evaluate not just the amount of fat in your body, but your BMI can also be an indicator for future problems or weight-related diseases. The CDC reports that a lower BMI is considered healthy, and for adults age 20 and older, a normal BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9. The benefits of having this lower and more healthy BMI range from self-confidence to health benefits.

Health Benefits

• Having a normal BMI protects you from numerous risks associated with obesity or a high BMI. With a lower BMI, you are at less of a risk for diseases and conditions such as hypertension, dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, a stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, and even some cancers such as breast and colon.

  In addition to being at less of a risk for many illness, diseases, and conditions with a lower BMI, you are also expected to be more healthy and therefore live longer. Environmental factors and personal factors such drinking and smoking may change that expectation.

Personal Benefits

• Having a healthy, normal BMI gives you the satisfaction that you are treating your body well and keeping it healthy. Being able to fit into the clothes you like and feel that you look attractive in them is a huge benefit of having a lower BMI; it can really boost your confidence.

Social Benefits

• A low BMI is evident in a person's appearance by their fitness and trimness. A job interviewer considering someone for a job that requires some physical fitness may choose the candidate with a lower BMI over someone with a higher, more unhealthy one. Even some health insurance companies prefer customers with a low BMI.