Plastic Surgery Blog – Dr. Goldstein

New Haven, Connecticut – Providence, Rhode Island

Archive for April, 2011

BMI: Big Mess Indeed

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

Body mass index! The bane of everyone’s existence. This index, contrived using height and weight only, is being used to determine everyone’s status in regard to obesity. Unfortunately this rather simplistic formula corrals people into categories that misrepresent their true fitness level. While it works relatively well for the medium framed individual, it grossly miscalculates the people with small or large frames who may be very physically in-shape and have a large muscle mass component compared to fat. Because muscle weighs 5 times more per volume area, a very fit individual who looks thinner than an obese person of the same height will score a higher BMI mis-representing this individual as fat! I know an excellent personal trainer who was rejected by a special forces unit  in a telephone interview on learning his height and weight. Once they saw him in person they begged him to re-apply. He now trains athletes and special forces. A better way to assess true levels of obesity is to measure fat to muscle  ratio with calipers or electron conductivity/resistance. BMI is too simplistic and misrepresents a significant group of people. Demand an explanation of your BMI from your doctor!

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