Health and tech: The BMI system is deeply flawed

Does not accurately describe body fat or an individual’s overall health

Hyderabad: When most Indians wonder if they are overweight, underweight or obese, what is the first thing they do? They immediately start checking body mass index (BMI) charts, and they may have done a “Google search” to determine whether they are in the “safe” range for body fat.

But did you know that the BMI system is deeply flawed, it doesn’t accurately describe body fat, it doesn’t really diagnose body fat, or it doesn’t properly describe an individual’s overall health.

If we follow a BMI chart to determine an individual’s weight or overweight status, it would likely indicate that a world-class athlete like Virat Kohli or Neeraj Chopra is either obese or overweight. Before falling into the BMI trap, the health-conscious individual must recognize the biggest flaw of the BMI system. The problem with BMI is that it is calculated based on the ratio of weight to height and does not take muscle mass into account when calculating an individual’s overweight status.

So a top-notch athlete like Virat Kohli or Neeraj Chopra, despite being lean, agile and muscular, might be considered overweight according to the BMI chart due to the simple fact that muscle mass weighs more than fat.

What is BMI and what does it mean?

Body Mass Index (BMI) is a formula calculated by dividing a person’s height by the square of the person’s height. The department’s result figures fall into different weight categories including severely underweight, underweight, normal, overweight, moderately and severely obese.

Generally, a high BMI indicates high body fat. Therefore, individuals with a high BMI may be at risk for several diseases, including lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and cardiovascular disease. However, one must realize that BMI is not an ideal measure of body fat and it always ends up either overestimating or underestimating an individual’s body fat level.

Traditional BMI chart does not work for Indians

The BMI chart, which assigns body fat figures based on an individual’s height and weight, was originally developed specifically for Caucasian or Caucasian body types.

Asians have very different heights and weights than Europeans, making BMI a very flawed way of understanding an individual’s body fat. The BMI measurements of typical Europeans are quite different from those of Indians, who tend to have less muscle and a lot of fat around the belly and hips.

waist-to-height ratio may be ideal

Aware of the inherent pitfalls of BMI, researchers are now starting to develop a waist-to-height scale as an ideal way to measure an individual’s obesity risk and accurately indicate risk for obesity, diabetes, stroke, high blood pressure, and more. Like BMI, it is obtained by measuring the waist-to-height ratio. In general, an individual’s waist measurement should not exceed half of their height.