- By Ridam Sharma
- Sat, 04 Apr 2026 12:00 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
We often believe that being of a ‘normal weight’ implies being ‘healthy.’ Though weight is an important factor, it is merely a small aspect of a much bigger picture. Health is a much more complex issue than what a weighing scale reflects. To draw a clearer picture between a healthy weight and a normal weight, we turned to an expert.
In a conversation with The Daily Jagran, Dr Manisha Arora, Director - Internal Medicine at the CK Birla Hospital, Delhi, shared her significant insights about healthy weight and key phenomena.
What Is ‘Normal Weight Obesity,’ And Why Can It Be Risky Despite A Normal BMI?
Dr Manisha Arora cautiously suggested, “The Body Mass Index (BMI) method categorises individuals based on their weight in relation to height. Yet, BMI does not make a distinction between fat and muscle mass. This implies that an individual may be of normal BMI but still possess high amounts of body fat and low muscle mass. This phenomenon is referred to as ‘normal weight obesity.’ Such an individual may be physically fit but still be at a high risk of acquiring metabolic diseases.”
Why Body Composition Matters?
According to the doctor at the CK Birla Hospital, “Body composition analysis helps in attaining a better understanding of an individual’s health by calculating fat, muscle, and the distribution of body mass. Low muscle mass coupled with high amounts of body fat, especially around vital organs, can be a potential cause of acquiring diseases even if normal body weight is maintained.”
Fat Distribution Is Key:
The doctor also emphasised that fat distribution is key, “Not all fats are the same. There are certain fats that pose a greater risk than others. The Waist-to-Height Ratio is now recognised as a more reliable indicator than the BMI because it measures the distribution of body fat. If the Waist-to-Height Ratio is greater than 0.5, then it is a cause for concern because there is a strong correlation with conditions such as Type 2 Diabetes, heart conditions, and increased mortality rates.”
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Therefore, it is not possible to define health based on numbers alone. There are other factors that also play a significant role in defining health. Apart from the above-mentioned factors, physical activity levels, a healthy diet, stress levels, and sleep are also significant factors that define a person’s health. Even if a person is within the normal weight range, the level of sleep or stress levels could have a negative impact on the metabolism.
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Being healthy is not just about looking fit or having a certain weight. Being healthy is about the smooth functioning of organs inside your body. It is about the interplay of many factors inside and outside the body. In other words, simply being of normal weight is not an indication of health. Looking beyond weight is the key to staying healthy.
