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| *Women health>>>Obesity |
If BMI is such a flawed system, then why are obesity statistics based on it?.? |
They say 60% of Americans are obese, yet this is according to BMI. A BMI of over 25 is classified as overweight and a BMI of over 30 is obese. Yet I know plenty of people with BMI's over 25 and 30 who have healthy levels of body fat. I do realise on the other hand, there may be people with a healthy BMI, yet still be carrying to much body fat and this may balance figures out somewhat, but I get the feeling that the 60% figure may well be somewhat exaggerated. I'd like to see doctors start checking patients body fat percentages and see how this affects the obesity statistics. It would be interesting to know whether the number would stay the same or go up or down. there have been studies that have shown a stronger link between waist size and obesity related illnesses than BMI. A larger waist size is almost always due to an increase in visceral fat, whereas an increase in BMI could be gained by putting on muscle. Now we all know that someone who adds twenty pounds of muscle is generally heathier than someone who puts on twenty pounds of fat. I think because it's some type of base to go by. It might be flawed, but at least it gives a range to help as a guideline my opinion you have a very good point. This is because it is convenient enough to be used to estimate statistics for large groups. Percentage body fat is infinitely more accurate but it would be extremely difficult to use to measure the statistics of a large population. Here is an article about measuring body composition: http://www.spartafit.com/articles/measur... I agree. Also, although it doesn't affect obesity statistics, certain groups of people are incorrectly considered underweight. People that are naturally thin or have a small frame are "underweight" even though many are healthy. Age and gender also play into BMI's flaws. because it is easy to measure and non invasive that is why it is used. i think a bmi of 30 or under is more realistic than 25. the bmi does not take into account muscle mass. its flawed in many ways but there is no doubt america has a real problem with obesity and we are bringing up the rear. |
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