Obesity grade 1 | Body Mass Index

Obesity grade 1

From a BMI of 30 to 35, there is severe overweight (obesity), often there are other risk factors and mortality is increased. Here, medical control and weight reduction through dietary changes and more exercise are necessary.

Obesity grade 2

The BMI (Body Mass Index) is between 35 and 40 and the health risk is greatly increased. In some cases, in addition to the so-called basic therapy (change of diet, exercise), drug therapy is also necessary. If serious secondary diseases are present, surgical therapy is also considered, e.g. gastric banding.

Obesity grade 3

With a BMI over 40 and a body weight of mostly more than 130 kg, there are considerable health risks. Approximately 1% of the population in the Federal Republic of Germany have a BMI over 40, and basic therapy brings a weight reduction of more than 15% in only 1 – 3% of these people. Here, surgical therapy is generally considered.

Broca weight

Until a few years ago, the so-called Broca formula was used to assess body weight. It is: Broca weight = body length (cm) – 100 example: Normal weight with a height of 170 cm = 70 kg. The ideal weight for men was 10% and for women 15% below Broca’s weight.

An advantage of this method was the low calculation effort. It is no longer needed today.