Normaalipaino

Normaalipaino is a Finnish term referring to a normal or healthy body weight within the context of medical and public health practice. In adults, normaalipaino is commonly defined using the body mass index (BMI) with a range of 18.5 to 24.9. This range is associated with lower risk for several weight-related diseases, though risks exist across the BMI spectrum.

BMI is calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters. The standard adult categories are: underweight below 18.5; normal weight 18.5–24.9; overweight 25–29.9; obesity 30 or higher. These cutoffs are widely used for population assessments and clinical screening, and normal weight is often used as a target in weight management guidance.

Limitations: BMI does not distinguish between fat and lean mass, nor does it reflect fat distribution or metabolic health. People with high muscle mass may have BMI in the overweight range despite low body fat. Conversely, individuals with normal BMI can have unhealthy fat distribution and metabolic risk. Ethnicity, age, pregnancy, and aging affect interpretation, and BMI may be less reliable for certain groups.

In children and adolescents, normal weight is determined by BMI-for-age percentile tables and is age- and sex-specific. Normal weight is generally defined as within a certain percentile range (commonly around the 5th to the 85th percentile), but practices vary by country and guideline.

Overall, normaalipaino serves as a practical indicator in population health and clinical screening, but it should be considered alongside other health measures, such as waist circumference, body composition, and metabolic indicators.