Q: You said on Question 2494 (13th November 2007) that at 5 foot 6 inches and 135 pounds that the man in question is nearer the underweight than the overweight range. According to the medical book I've got 135 pounds is 10 pounds above the underweight category and 15 pounds below the overweight category i.e. near the middle of the healthy weight category. I agree the man in question does not need to lose weight, but he is fair way above being underweight. I do realize that you can be a couple of pounds heavier with muscle yet look slimmer than someone of a lighter weight. Do Bmi scales vary according to country?

A: I think we are saying the same thing in different words. I said he was closer to being underweight than overweight and you said that he's 10 pounds away from being underweight and 15 pounds away from being overweight.

As far as the BMI scale, I believe it is the same in all countries. There is a little bit of difference at which point a person is considered underweight -- some people use BMI of 18.5 and some BMI of 20. Personally I think 20 is much more reasonable. I have seen people who had genuine physical and even psychological problems due to their low weight, even though they were over 18.5 on BMI.