![]() ![]() Other research shows that for people of Asian or Middle Eastern descent, even a lower BMI may be misleading. Another showed that Mexican American women tend to have more body fat than white and Black women. For example, a 2011 study showed that Black women had less metabolic risk at higher BMIs than white women. BMI does not account for that.Ĭertain genetic factors can affect BMI accuracy because of their effect on weight distribution and muscle mass. More and more research shows that there are biological and genetic differences in the relationship between weight, muscle mass and disease risk among different groups of people. When it comes to BMI, all races and ethnicities are lumped together - and that can lead to unclear and confusing results. Factors that can make BMI not accurate include: Race and ethnicity Some exceptions can make BMI seem more like a Magic 8 Ball, though. “Rather, it’s an important piece of information that you and your primary healthcare provider should look at within the context of evaluating you as a whole person.” Why isn’t BMI accurate in some cases? “A too-high or too-low BMI is not an ironclad guarantee that you will develop a chronic disease,” notes Dr. But many more people with BMIs over 40 have diabetes than people in the overweight or normal weight range. Does it dramatically increase your risk of poor health? Absolutely.įor example, not everyone who has a BMI over 40 has diabetes. Does a high BMI mean you automatically have poor health? No. “But when you look at people whose BMIs are more than 40, the risk may increase to 20 times higher.”īMI is an exercise in health probability. “That risk may be twice as high,” says Dr. For example, people who have BMIs in the overweight or obesity ranges are at higher risk for developing diabetes than people in the normal range. Even dropping your BMI one or two points can significantly reduce the risk of conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”įile this one under “it’s complicated.” As your BMI rises, your risk for health problems increases as well. “People don’t automatically need to reduce their BMI into the ‘normal range’ to see health benefits. Heinberg says it’s a great starting point for a talk with your physician. If you find yourself out of the normal range, Dr. Metric units: Weight in kilograms ÷ height 2 in meters = BMI (for example: 70 kilograms ÷ 1.7 meters 2 = 24.2).units: Weight in pounds ÷ height 2 in inches) x 703 = BMI (for example: 150 pounds ÷ 65 inches 2 x 703 = 26.6) To calculate BMI, use this adult BMI calculator or these formulas: But when we look at hundreds of thousands of people, there are differences at that line.” How to measure your BMI “Is there something magical with hypertension such that 120 over 80 is normal, and 121 over 81 is high blood pressure? No. “But it’s the same with any metric in medicine,” explains Dr. And so lines were drawn - below this line, you’re “healthy” above it, you’re “at-risk.” Certain BMI ranges were associated with greater risks of disease, mortality and other poor outcomes. Looking at the BMIs of such large groups of people revealed some hard-to-ignore patterns. “They were looking to describe populations to determine things like risk and life insurance.” “But it really took off around the mid-20th century with actuaries,” she says. Heinberg says researchers initially used BMI to describe large groups of people, not individual health. (A Belgian mathematician named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet developed it in 1832.) Dr. “BMI is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in meters squared.”īMI has been around for a while. “People who are taller tend to weigh more, so you can’t compare weight without taking height into consideration,” says Dr. What is BMI?īMI measures your weight-to-height ratio. Heinberg explains the rise of BMI as a tool to measure your health - and whether to use it or lose it. In other words, she’s a weight and BMI expert. So is BMI really accurate? Clinical psychologist Leslie Heinberg, PhD, is the director of Enterprise Weight Management for the Cleveland Clinic. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. ![]() Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. ![]()
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