Unbelievable! Researchers question BMI reliability

In today's technologically advanced world, information and news travels almost at the speed of light. Many people believe every tidbit of information that is passed on to them and follow suggestions to the letter. Quite often this may be a ‘good thing,' but when it comes to health issues, everyone should be careful and do a little research before applying major lifestyle changes.

One of these controversial and research-worthy topics is BMI. What is BMI and what is it used for? Just ask any individual battling some kind of weight problem and you will soon find out that BMI stands for Body Mass Index. As self explanatory as the words Body, Mass and Index may seem, the concept is actually a lot more complicated, especially if it is used to figure out if there is any kind of weight problem.

Calculating your body mass by comparing your height to your weight may sound logical, but think about it! Aren't there some key variables missing such as, muscles mass, bone structure, body fat content, age and gender? These elements are important and can make the needle on your scale swing from end to the other. If you don't believe it, just ask any muscular athlete! They will confirm that, even if their BMI score says they are overweight, medical testing will show they are not.

If you want to try it, body mass index calculations are very straightforward. You simply divide weight in kilograms by height in meters squared, or for those using the imperial system, divide weight in pounds by height in inches squared, and multiply the number by 703. The result is then compared to the numbers on a BMI chart.

The widely used BMI table states that if your final number is below 18.5 you are underweight, 18.5 - 24.9 is considered normal, 25.0 - 29.9 overweight, and 30.0 and above, means you are obese and are at risk for certain diseases, including heart disease.

Nobody will deny that excess weight can cause health problems, but to determine if this is truly the case, one needs more than a generalizing indicator. A compilation of forty studies, involving 250,000 patients, and spanning an average of 4 years was published on August 19, 2006 in the medical journal The Lancet, and proves just that.

The study showed that:
- Patients with a BMI under 20 were at higher risk to die from cardiovascular disease than those with BMIs of 30 to 35.
- Overweight patients, but not obese, also had less risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, than patients whose BMI scores fell in the normal range.
The same team of researchers also agreed that a better way to predict the risk for heart attacks, and to better distinguish between fat and muscle, is to focus on the waist-hip ratio and taking a cross-sectional view of your abdomen.

These investigators also made it clear that carrying excess weight is not good for heart patients, or anyone for that matter, and that a weight loss of 5% to 10% can improve health drastically. It will lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels, as well as prevent type 2 diabetes in those who are at risk.

In conclusion, BMI is an important assessment tool, but should be used wisely.

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Australian Lifestyle & Fitness offers free online BMI tools. These include a BMI Calculator and articles about BMI in children.