The Troubled History of the BMI
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https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/09/bmi-body-mass-index-troubled-history/
Link to videoDespite the ubiquity of the BMI in medicine, many argue that it is a flawed tool, with a strange history. In recent months, the BMI has become more relevant than ever as the new semaglutide weight loss drugs are poised to change how obesity is understood and treated.
BMI is a simple calculation — a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height. But how BMI is then translated into a diagnosis is complicated and flawed.
Watch this video to learn more about the history of the BMI — how it became so entrenched in medicine and, surprisingly, how its introduction may have set back decades of work on how obesity contributes to disease.
"Now look here, you Baltic gas passer... " - Mik, 6/14/08
The saying, "Lite is just one damn thing after another," is a gross understatement. The damn things overlap.
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https://www.statnews.com/2023/03/09/bmi-body-mass-index-troubled-history/
Link to videoDespite the ubiquity of the BMI in medicine, many argue that it is a flawed tool, with a strange history. In recent months, the BMI has become more relevant than ever as the new semaglutide weight loss drugs are poised to change how obesity is understood and treated.
BMI is a simple calculation — a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height. But how BMI is then translated into a diagnosis is complicated and flawed.
Watch this video to learn more about the history of the BMI — how it became so entrenched in medicine and, surprisingly, how its introduction may have set back decades of work on how obesity contributes to disease.
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@George-K Isn't the number that is actually clinically relevant the body fat percentage? BMI is just a number that is easier to compute, and for most people it correlates with body fat percentage.
@Klaus said in The Troubled History of the BMI:
@George-K Isn't the number that is actually clinically relevant the body fat percentage?
One would think so, right?
BMI is just a number that is easier to compute, and for most people it correlates with body fat percentage.
But muscle weighs more than fat so the calculation using body weight as a measure of obesity is flawed on its premise.
As the video mentions, athletes can have a high BMI and be in good health.
ETA: The video makes another interesting point: BMI might be useful to measure the "obesity" of a population. But individuals are different.
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I record my weight and body fat percentage every day.
Here is a tip on how to cut down your BFP, you need a scale that uses the electrical conductivity method to measure BFP.
Check the BFP when you get out of the shower. With wet feet you conduct the electricity much better. I think my real BFP is around 10-11%, but I record BFP around 7-8% with wet feet.
It may not be accurate, but you feel better. And isn't that the goal?
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I record my weight and body fat percentage every day.
Here is a tip on how to cut down your BFP, you need a scale that uses the electrical conductivity method to measure BFP.
Check the BFP when you get out of the shower. With wet feet you conduct the electricity much better. I think my real BFP is around 10-11%, but I record BFP around 7-8% with wet feet.
It may not be accurate, but you feel better. And isn't that the goal?
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What a bunch of porkers that lot are
