Principles of Nutrition
"Healthy" or"normal" BMI is defined numerically as 18.5 to 24.9. Values above and below this range are associated with increased health risks. Although BMI can be calcullated with a mathematical formula, tables and nomograms are available for convenience(see Chapter 14). One drawback of using BMI is that a person can have a high BMI and still be undernourished in one or more nutrients if intake is unbalanced or if nutritional needs are high and intake is inadequate.