Does it really work?
While the body mass index is popular and widely-used, there are still a lot of arguments surrounding it. For one thing, it does not always take into account whether the person is muscular. A physically fit person with a good amount of muscle may be confused by the BMI calculator. This is because BMI does not distinguish between fat and muscle.
Let us compare.
A bodybuilder who is 221 lbs and 6 ft. tall will have a BMI of 28. A person who doesn’t exercise weighs 203 lbs and is 6 ft. tall, and he will have a BMI of 27. So a bodybuilder may be deemed as overweight or obese because of their height to weight ratio. While their heights are the same and their weight is similar, they will not be of the same health. Therefore, there are times that BMI is not accurate.
While it is possible to be healthy and overweight, being overweight or obese still holds more risk to certain illnesses and conditions.
Other than the fat to muscle ratio being unclear when it comes to body mass index, BMI also cannot distinguish whether a person is healthy or not.
While it is possible to be healthy and overweight, being overweight still holds more risk to certain illnesses and conditions.
Additionally, BMI can over- or underestimate adiposity. For instance, one study showed that women who had a spinal cord injury and used the BMI calculation found that it had limited use for them. That is because BMI underestimated adiposity for women with their injury.
Another point to note is that the body mass index may not be as helpful when determining what the normal weight to height ratio is for different races and ethnic groups. For instance, some people of Asian ethnicity tend to have smaller frames than Western people. So, a slim Asian woman may be deemed as underweight, despite being healthy and normal.
As stated earlier, measurements can be helpful and can complement the body mass index. A few scientists say that using the waist to height ratio is better and easier than solely using the body mass index calculator. It can be helpful because people who have fat around their abdomens have higher risks of metabolic disorders and heart disease.
Another study states that waist circumference can also indicate whether a person has a higher risk of getting heart disease and type 2 diabetes. That study was proven true by the authors even after they had accounted for people’s BMI.
The new BMI calculator
When Quetelet first created the body mass index, he made a simple system because there were no electronic devices, calculators, and computers at the time. So, a mathematician, Professor Nick Trefethen, believed that the body mass index was misleading and confusing.
Trefethen then devised another formula that he called the new BMI calculator. He created this because he believed that assigning a number to a person isn’t ideal because humans are complex beings. Therefore, he created the new body mass index calculator to help people get a better estimation of what their normal weight range should be for their heights.
How can I calculate my BMI?
Use our health tool to find out if your Body Mass Index falls within the healthy range.
Key Takeaways
While the body mass index may not be the perfect calculation to estimate whether a person is healthy or not, it has practical value. It can help determine if you fall within the normal weight range, or above or below it. It is also still very helpful when you want to compare people’s weights in large groups.
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