Does BMI really matter?

Asked by: Joe Robeson

BMI is a useful tool for healthcare professionals to quickly identify health risks—for example, a person with a high BMI has a greater chance of developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes—but your BMI alone doesn’t provide a detailed picture of your health.

Is BMI really reliable?

Even though it is often used as one, it is not a true diagnostic of body fatness or of an individual’s overall health. As most of us fitness-focused folks have likely heard, BMI is far from a perfect measurement.

Why is BMI not a good measure?

BMI (body mass index), which is based on the height and weight of a person, is an inaccurate measure of body fat content and does not take into account muscle mass, bone density, overall body composition, and racial and sex differences, say researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania.

Should BMI be taken seriously?

BMI is not an accurate predictor of health because it does not account for body fat percentage or body fat distribution. In addition, BMI cannot accurately predict the health of different demographics and races because it was created with data from only white Europeans.

Why are we saying goodbye to BMI?

The BMI is so revered as a standard that in the US the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has proposed people with higher BMIs should also have to shell out more for insurance premiums, since being overweight or obese can increase your risk for diabetes and heart disease, and is considered unhealthy.

Why does my BMI say I’m overweight when I’m not?

Your muscle mass makes up most of your weight
BMI doesn’t account for body composition, which means it misses the difference between muscle mass and fat. or overweight based on their BMI alone.

Should you ignore BMI?

By ignoring body composition, BMI sacrifices a lot of predictive power in relation to health outcomes. In recent years, medical researchers have performed a number of studies comparing the effect of BMI versus that of body composition (or body fat percentage) on the risk for various diseases.

What is more accurate than BMI?

While BMI is a rough estimate of body fat, body fat percentage is a more accurate number. BMI, but not overfat. Likewise, a person of normal weight on the BMI scales may still be overfat and at risk of weight-related diseases.

Who should not use BMI?

Therefore, BMI should not be used as a guide for adults who are very short (less than 150 cm) or very tall (more than 190 cm). People of different ethnic groups – Asians and Indians, for example, have more body fat at any given BMI compared to people of European descent.

Why is BMI not accurate for athletes?

Because BMI utilizes only body weight and height and does not take into account overall body composition, including body fat, muscular individuals may be classified as obese. Consequently, even though it is widely accepted, BMI may actually be a poor indicator for obesity in the adolescent athletic population.

Is the BMI chart outdated?

The body mass index, or BMI, was invented in the 1830s, and, as with many things that have been around for nearly 200 years, it seems to have outgrown its utility. There are four major problems with BMI, according to obesity experts: It doesn’t give you a good estimate of how much body fat you’re carrying around.

What is more accurate than BMI?

While BMI is a rough estimate of body fat, body fat percentage is a more accurate number. BMI, but not overfat. Likewise, a person of normal weight on the BMI scales may still be overfat and at risk of weight-related diseases.

Why is BMI not accurate for athletes?

Because BMI utilizes only body weight and height and does not take into account overall body composition, including body fat, muscular individuals may be classified as obese. Consequently, even though it is widely accepted, BMI may actually be a poor indicator for obesity in the adolescent athletic population.

Is the BMI chart outdated?

The body mass index, or BMI, was invented in the 1830s, and, as with many things that have been around for nearly 200 years, it seems to have outgrown its utility. There are four major problems with BMI, according to obesity experts: It doesn’t give you a good estimate of how much body fat you’re carrying around.

What should I weigh realistically?

What is a ‘healthy’ weight based on BMI?

What was BMI originally created for?

The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He was a mathematician, not a physician. He produced the formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the degree of obesity of the general population to assist the government in allocating resources.