YSK that there's a better index than the BMI to measure obesity called the Body Roundness Index
YSK that there's a better index than the BMI to measure obesity called the Body Roundness Index
"The body mass index has long been criticized as a flawed indicator of health. A replacement has been gaining support: the body roundness index." Article unfortunately doesn't give the freaking formula for chrissakes; it's "364.2 − 365.5 × √(1 − [waist circumference in centimeters / 2π]2 / [0.5 × height in centimeters]2), according to the formula developed by Thomas et al.10"
At 198cm (6'6") and 111kg (245lbs) BMI states that I'm on the high end of "overweight". My waist is 96cm (38"), which makes my RFM "average". I like that better.
Well, it turns out they both tell me I'm a little too fat.
Waist to height is the only proven metric. And the problem with BMI is not that it is overestimating fat, it's that it's underestimating fat because it completely misses skinny-fat people, and the number of those is much higher than the number of jacked overweight not fat athletes.
Add to this the complicating factor that it's really torso fat that is metabolically active and dangerous to your health.
Waist should be less than half your height, you don't even need a measuring tape. Get someone to cut a string as long as you are tall, and see if it can go around your waist twice, with at least some extra length. If so, you are good, probably don't have too much torso fat.
ETA I don't understand why they need that complicated formula, why not just a ratio? The only inputs are waist and height. Never understood the point of squaring height to get BMI either, it's also just a mass to height comparison, why not a simple ratio?
BMI is the best measure we have for statistical purposes (i.e., a population) because it's been around for 50(?) years and is what is often used in studies, so you can compare one study to another using BMI.
It's also not terrible for a population because it averages out. But for an individual it is definitely not a good measure because there are way too many other variables that matter.
It is one of the most widely used health metrics but also one of the most reviled, because it is used to label people overweight, obese or extremely obese.
That's like blaming the ruler for labeling you too short or too tall... Can't we just use the tool for rough assessment, while being aware of its limitations, and be happy about it?
Here's an online calculator
BMI is not a medical metric. Here is an article explaining that. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-01-02/the-problem-with-the-body-mass-index-bmi/100728416
this seems silly because everyone has different fat distribution. two people of the same height and weight would get different results if one of them has most of their fat concentrated in their midsection and the other in their legs.
