Weight-Loss Drugs: PiLLs anD suPPLement 2

Weight-loss drugs may work by suppressing the appetite, inhibiting the body’s absorption of fat, or boosting the body’s metabolism slightly. These drugs are intended to support an overall weight-loss plan of making healthy diet choices and exercising.

To illustrate what these numbers translate to in pounds, the following information demonstrates various BMI catego- ries for a person who is 5’9” tall

Weight	BMI	Weight Status
124 lbs or less	Below 18.5	Underweight
125 lbs to 168 lbs	18.5 to 24.9	Normal
169 lbs to 202 lbs	25.0 to 29.9	Overweight
203 lbs or more	30 or higher	Obese2

There are two additional  subcategories, morbidly obese and super morbidly obese. Morbidly obese represents people with a BMI of 40.0 to 49.9, and super morbidly obese refers to people with a BMI of 50.0 and above.Assessing weight with  BMI also has  its  critics in  the medical community.  The problem  with BMI to  determine a healthy weight is that is does not account for how much muscle a person has. An extremely muscular person may be considered overweight according to BMI but could be healthy and fit. Consider, for example, the basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. At 7’1” and 325 pounds, O’Neal’s BMI is 31.6, which puts him in the “obese” category. Shaquille O’Neal is definitely not obese; he is extremely muscular, and therefore BMI is not a suitable evaluator of his health. A person also could have a normal BMI but be in poor nutritional health. Elderly people who have lost muscle due to inactivity might be considered a normal weight due to their BMI but in fact may have reduced nutritional reserves.