BMI: Isn't it time we eradicated this outdated measure for our weight?

We've all probably heard it at least once in our lives: "Ok Sir, you have a BMI of 25.1, I'm afraid you're overweight"

And the downward spiral commences of physical and emotional stresses. I am quietly confident that everyone has heard of BMI and what it represents. BMI Stands for Body Mass Index. It is calculated by: Your height (in cm's) divided by your weight (in kg's) squared. Which gives a figure in and around the 20 - 25 (cm/kg2) range. It was then agreed that:

18.5 - 24.9 was an ideal weight

25 - 29.9 was considered overweight

30 - 39.9 was considered obese

>40 was considered morbidly obese However, this was conceptualised in the 1830's. Whilst it is an easy mathematical equation to calculate for healthcare and medical professionals quickly in a clinical setting, it doesn't really allow for and account for the 21st Century physique. BMI doesn't take into consideration muscle bulk or bone density. Neither does it take into consideration ethnicity or gender differences! More and more people have access to gym equipment in the 21st Century than ever before. It is more and more common to see a man (or woman) with increased muscle definition. Muscle does weigh more than fat! So it stands to reason that someone with increased muscle bulk will fall foul of this outdated outcome measure for fat and weight.

Even as a student, with my dissertation, I proved that BMI was an inaccurate measure for measuring one's body fat when compared to body fat percentage. My dissertation proved a correlation between body fat percentage and hip range of motion. My dissertation showed no correlation between BMI and hip range of motion. Finally, it showed no correlation between BMI and body fat percentage.

Measuring body fat percentage is a far more accurate measure for a person's health. However, it is not as easy to perform as BMI. When I was conducting my dissertation, we had access to very expensive equipment that allowed us to calculate our participant's body fat percentages. Despite having the equipment available, not everyone who consented to participating was able to go into the equipment that measured this.

There are what we call contra-indications for the use for some of such equipment. For example: having metal implants, respiratory (breathing)

conditions and some neurological conditions.

We as clinicians have disproven BMI over the past few years, yet the most effective way to measure body fat is expensive and not all-inclusive. We need to find a better way that incorporates the simplicity and cheapness of BMI and the accuracy of body fat percentage.