underweight

(ŭn'dər-wāt')
adj.
Weighing less than is normal, healthy, or required.

n.
Insufficiency of weight.

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A person is significantly underweight if he or she is more than 10 per cent below their optimal body weight. It must be stressed that this optimal weight varies from individual to individual (see ideal weight).

Some people are constitutionally thin and their optimum weight will be lower than those who are more comfortable, fit, and healthy at a higher weight. Some athletes, such as long-distance runners, are thin by nature and suffer no ill-effects from being thin. However, such is the pressure for success in sport, that many athletes are unnaturally thin by design rather than by nature. Many exercisers, particularly young female runners and gymnasts, take great pains to keep their weight low. There is no doubt that their high power to weight ratio gives them a competitive advantage, but this may be at a cost to health if taken to extremes.

An obsessive desire for thinness can lead to eating disorders. A survey of more than 4000 recreational runners found that 8 per cent of the men and 24 per cent of the women had attitudes to food similar to those of people suffering anorexia or bulimia nervosa. Many of the women had irregular periods (see amenorrhoea) and, although weight-bearing exercise offers partial protection, some may be in danger of suffering brittle bone disease in later life (see osteoporosis). In addition, low food intake may result in malnourishment and all its attendant problems, including greater risk of sports injuries. Extreme underweight is often associated with an insufficient intake of the vitamins and minerals required to maintain health.

If you are underweight, your first priority should be to ensure that you are obtaining adequate nutrients. If you wish to increase your weight to its ideal level, you should do this gradually. Aim to gain about 1 pound (0.5 kg) per week by increasing your intake of lean meat, complex carbohydrates, and low-fat dairy products. These foods, combined with a well-devised exercise programme, will help you gain muscle, not fat.

adj

Definition: thin
Antonyms: chubby, fat, overweight, plump, thick

A person is considered underweight if his or her body mass index (BMI) falls below a certain threshold (body mass index is a measure determined by a person's age, height, and weight). For infants and children, a BMI below the 10th percentile for a specific age indicates an individual who is underweight. For adults, a BMI below 19.1 for females and 20.7 for males is considered underweight. A BMI of 17.5 indicates an individual is very underweight.

Individuals who are underweight are at high risk for malnutrition. Being underweight can affect growth and development, and it can cause infertility or delayed menstruation. It can also result in fatigue, irritability, and a lack of concentration, as well as impairing the body's ability to thermoregulate itself. Due to a decreased immune response, underweight individuals are less resistant to infections and disease.

It is recommended that underweight individuals gain one pound per week until an appropriate weight is reached. This can be accomplished by consistently (daily) increasing one's intake of calorically denser foods (i.e., nuts instead of pretzels), eating more frequently, and drinking fluids between meals rather than with meals.

See also Body mass index; Malnutrition; Nutritional deficiency; Weight management.

Bibliography
Duyff, Roberta L. (1996). The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food and Nutrition Guide. Minneapolis, MN: Chronimed.

Internet Resources
American Dietetic Association. Available from http://www.eatright.org

1. A situation where a portfolio does not hold a sufficient amount of a particular security when compared to the security's weight in the underlying benchmark portfolio. This often occurs when a portfolio is actively managed and underweighting a security may allow the portfolio manager to achieve returns greater than that of the benchmark.

2. An analyst's opinion regarding the future performance of a security. Underweight will usually mean that the security is expected to underperform either its industry, sector, or even the market altogether.

Investopedia Says:
1. Portfolio managers can make the securities underweight if they believe will underperform when compared to other securities in the portfolio. For example consider a security in the benchmark portfolio with a weight of 10%. If the manager believes the security will underperform over a certain time period, they will allocate the security a weight of less than 10% for that period, in hopes of increasing the portfolios expected return.

2. An example of an analysts underweight definition is: The stock's return is expected to be below the average return of the industry over the next eight to 12 months. Analyst's definitions vary regarding the time frame used and the benchmark the security is compared against.

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IN BRIEF: To be less heavy than is normal.

It is not healthy to become underweight.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

For a list of words related to underweight, see:

• Signs and Symptoms - underweight: state of insufficient or subnormal accumulation of body fat
• Small, short, or thin
• Sickly, out of shape, dull, or weak

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See words rhyming with "underweight."

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - undervægtig
v. tr. - veje for lidt
n. - undervægt

Nederlands (Dutch)
ondergewicht, lichtgewicht, onder het normale gewicht

Français (French)
adj. - maigre
v. tr. - charger très peu (qch)
n. - maigreur

Deutsch (German)
adj. - untergewichtig
v. - zu geringes Gewicht beimessen
n. - Untergewicht

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - βάρους μικρότερου του κανονικού, λιπόβαρος, αδύνατος

Italiano (Italian)
sottopeso

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - deficiente em peso

Русский (Russian)
весящий ниже нормы, имеющий недовес, недостаточный вес

Español (Spanish)
adj. - de peso insuficiente
v. tr. - pesar poco
n. - falta de peso, peso menor que el normal

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - underviktig

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
重量不足的, 使重量不足, 重量不足

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 重量不足的
v. tr. - 使重量不足
n. - 重量不足

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 중량 부족의, 표준 중량 이하인
v. tr. - 중량 부족이 되다
n. - 중량 부족, 표준 중량 이하인 사람(것)

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 重量が標準以下の, 重量不足の
n. - 重量不足

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) اخف من المعدل‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מתחת למשקל (הנחוץ)‬
v. tr. - ‮ייחס חשיבות מעטה מדי ל-‬
n. - ‮משקל לא מספיק‬

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