The body mass index (BMI) is the relationship between the height and weight of an individual, which directly correlates to the body fat contained within the body and explains the degree of health risk associated with the person. It is measured as BMI = Body weight in Kilograms/ height in meters squared.

The male population has special consequences with regard to the body mass index with respect to the ramifications of the different possible relations possible with different height and weight characteristics of men. Characteristically, they are very different to those of female population.

A study by the department of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and School of Hygiene and Public Health goes a step further to prove that obesity in middle age is associated with increased risks of osteoarthritis of the knees.

During the years of 20-29, a greater Body Mass Index has been found to have a direct relationship to osteoarthritis of the knee. This also suggests that a cumulative exposure to an increasing BMI during the growing years in a man leads to complications in old age.

For men, the desirable body mass is said to be somewhere around 22- 24 while obesity is marked at 28.5. Extreme obesity is marked at 33.

Men have different height and weight characteristics and hence different ramifications in general related to different resultant BMI. While it cannot be the sole dictator with respect to health advising, it certainly is a definite guide when it comes to a man�s health.