In regard to weight, the majority of people in developed nations are concerned with overweight and obesity. There is very little panic or concern brought on the shoulders of those who are thin. However, being thin is not the same thing as being healthy, and it’s important to realize this whether you are trying to lose extra pounds or keep your weight at an unrealistic level.

It is possible to be thin and unhealthy, just as it is possible to be slightly overweight and healthy?

So how thin is too thin? BMI (body mass index) is often used to gauge whether a person is within their ideal weight range (a BMI of less than 19 for women and less than 20 for men is considered underweight), but I consider waist circumference a better measure because it reflects body density. Your waist circumference should be measured by placing a tape measure around the smallest area below your rib cage and above your belly button.

For men:

For women:

If your waist measurement falls significantly below the ideal waist measurement, then you may be underweight. Of course, variations in an individual’s body size and shape may alter the accuracy of this measurement, and the above recommendations should only be used as a guideline to ideal weight, not a definitive definition.

As with overweight and obesity, being underweight poses the risk of a variety of health problems including:

Being underweight may pose an even greater risk as you age, as osteoporosis occurs more frequently in 'thin' people later in life, and body fat helps to maintain estrogen levels in women. Further, a study found that after age 55 people who are five to 10 pounds overweight tend to live longer and have fewer chronic diseases than those who are thin, and after age 70 those who are 5 percent to 10 percent overweight tend to live longer.

There are many reasons why a person may be underweight, such as an improper diet, illness or trying to stay excessively thin for cosmetic reasons. This latter reason is especially common among females in middle school, high school and college, and many who are far from overweight believe they are obese and often adopt bizarre diets, starve themselves, take laxatives, or binge and purge.

These types of eating disorders, including anorexia and bulimia, are epidemics among this population, dangerous ones at that, as mortality rates are as high as 20 percent. Further, research has shown that half of college women have experienced eating disorder symptoms, although most do not have full-blown anorexia or bulimia.

If a person is excessively underweight for these reasons, it is important that they seek to resolve the underlying emotional challenges that are causing this behavior.

For those who are underweight and are trying to gain weight, determining your metabolic rate is an essential step. Your metabolic rate lets you know how many calories you burn on a daily basis and may allow you to better gauge your calorie intake to ensure you consume the appropriate number of calories so as not to lose more weight.

Reference Source 106, 116

For more information on how to prevent other diseases, use
PreventDisease.com's "Quick Prevention Resources".