The Body Mass Index (BMI)
Says Nothing About Your
Health
By Peter Janiszewski, Ph.D.
If you go to your physician’s office and inquire about your weight status, he or she will measure
your height and weight to derive your BMI (weight in kg divided by height in m squared). Then
they will compare your BMI to that of established criteria to decide whether you are underweight
(30 kg/m2) . Often times, this measure alone determines whether or not you receive lifestyle treatment.
But how useful is this measure anyways? What does it tell you about your health? And finally,
how helpful is it to measure when assessing the effect of a lifestyle (diet/exercise) intervention?
Photos: Studio CL Art
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