Because muscle tissue is more dense than fat, many athletes and bodybuilders are considered overweight according to BMI despite being in peak athletic health. Because of this, it is not always an accurate depiction of health for other demographics and races. In , the World Health Organization found Asian people with a high risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease had lower BMIs.
Another large study of over 15, Chinese adults found that a high risk for cardiovascular disease started at a lower BMI and waist circumference than for Caucasians. This means when screening for BMI, Asian people may have a higher disease risk in categories considered healthy or normal on the BMI chart.
Additionally, Stanford conducted a study in that found what is considered healthy for Black women is higher than the standard BMI chart, while for Hispanic and white women, what is considered healthy is lower than the chart. For example, when measuring the risk for diabetes , Black women fall closer to 33 and white women average at For Black women, for example, you might see someone with a BMI of 32, but that might actually be really healthy for them in the context of their whole profile. The specific location of fat is another important factor when considering overall health, and is a measure that BMI does not adjust for.
Upper body fat around the midsection and visceral fat are more correlated to health complications, such as cardiovascular disease than lower body fat around the thighs and butt region. A study found people with the same BMI can have very different risk profiles for heart attack , stroke , and diabetes depending on lifestyle, diet, and where the fat is located on their bodies.
Anekwe says there are more accurate predictors of health than BMI. These are called the five metabolic risk factors. Together, they can increase your chances of heart disease, stroke, and diabetes. Although measuring body mass index can be a quick and easy way to screen for your health outcomes, there are numerous caveats that BMI does not address, such as different demographics, weight distribution, and body fat percentage.
In order to more accurately understand your health, metabolic factors like blood pressure and waist circumference can better predict your overall risk for certain health conditions. If you are concerned about BMI or your weight, it's perfectly normal and safe to consult your doctor or a medical professional to better understand what is personally healthy for you and your body.
A paradox that generates a great deal of controversy. Advances to improve the measurement of obesity and related factors will help determine the optimal weight for an individual, taking into account factors such as age, sex, genetics, fitness, pre-existing diseases, as well novel blood markers and metabolic parameters altered by obesity. People with a BMI of 30 or more, i.
A team of researchers at the University of Virginia, Charlottesville, found better post-surgical short-term survival rates among obese people than patients of normal weight 3.
Patients with a BMI of This results in tall people believing they are fatter than they really are 4 , and short people thinking they are thinner. BMI was devised in the s by Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet , a Belgian mathematician, sociologist, statistician and astronomer. Trefethen wonders why institutions today on both sides of the Atlantic continue using the same flawed-BMI formula.
Study leader, Dr Claudia Langenberg and team suggested that waist circumference should be measured more widely for estimating type 2 diabetes risk. They pointed out that a non-obese, overweight male with a waist circumference of at least The same applies for females with a waist of Co-author, James P. Waist size is the missing new risk factor we should be studying. Dr Margaret Ashwell, an independent consultant and former science director of the British Nutrition Foundation, explained at the 19th Congress on Obesity in Lyon, France, May , that waist-to-height ratio is a superior predictor than BMI 7 of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases.
Ashwell explained that BMI does not take into account the distribution of fat around the body. Abdominal fat affects organs like the kidney, liver and heart more severely than fat around the bottom or hips.
When a healthcare system puts too much focus on BMI and weight, patients bear the burden in a number of ways. Brochu wishes more doctors adopted weight-inclusive health approaches and that patients knew their bodies are not the problem.
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