![]() In this case, an elderly person’s BMI could be within a normal range while they might actually be overweight. BMI is also not reliable to use on elderly adults, who generally have lost some amount of muscle and bone mass. This isn’t the only place where BMI falls apart either. But as I said earlier, a glob of muscle weighs about 18 percent more than the same size glob of fat, so this is clearly not an accurate statement. So, according to the BMI, the sprinter is more overweight than the sedentary person. They would have a BMI of 28.Ī glob of muscle weighs about 18 percent more than the same size glob of fat. Now, imagine a sprinter who is also six feet tall but weighs 211 lbs. How does this kooky error happen? Well, imagine a sedentary person who is six feet tall and weighs 203 pounds. Also basketball player Lebron James and NHL right winger, Phil Kessel, both have a BMI of 27.5 and as we will learn later, a BMI between 25-29.9 is considered overweight. Then there is star NFL quarterback Tom Brady who’s BMI categorizes him as obese. Some good examples of this misinterpretation, according to an analysis of BMI’s Blind Spots, are former Olympians Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, who just narrowly miss the 'overweight' camp. Where Does BMI Go Wrong?Ī common example that people use when talking smack about BMI is that it doesn't distinguish between body fat and muscle mass, which is important because a hunk of muscle weighs more than the same size hunk of fat. Much of the time, and often when it really counts, the BMI measurement may actually overestimate or even underestimate a person’s body fat. Even though it is often used as one, it is not a true diagnostic of body fatness or of an individual’s overall health.Īs most of us fitness-focused folks have likely heard, BMI is far from a perfect measurement. Body Mass Index (BMI) is a mathematical formula that divides a person's weight by the square of their height to arrive at a number that falls into one of these bodyweight categories:īeyond assigning one of these categories, a high BMI can be also an indicator of high body fat and therefore can be used to screen for certain weight levels that could lead to health problems.
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