
Top Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus  - peter123
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106268439&sc=fb&cc=fp
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tjogin
The article is correct in that a _very_ muscular and physically fit person can
achieve a high BMI score, erroneously suggesting they are overweight.

But on the other hand, is there _any_ risk at all that said _very_ muscular
and physically fit person is deluded into thinking he (it's almost impossible
to be a female and get an "obese" BMI rating due to muscle mass) is actually
obese?

While BMI is a very inexact measurement, one that can be flat-out wrong in
many circumstances, people who have a "handful" of grabbable tissue on their
waist should not henceforth blame their high BMI score on their excessive
_muscle_ mass.

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gb
I don't think the article is directed at people worrying about their own BMI,
but when it is used by say, adoption agencies or insurance companies, etc. I
seem to remember a case here in the UK where a couple weren't allowed to adopt
because the man had a high BMI because he was a gym enthusiast or something.

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tjogin
I didn't think of that, quite honestly. You're quite right.

On the other hand, don't you agree that the _actual_ problem in cases like
that is rigid policy making with no regard for circumstances, rather than BMI
itself?

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scott_s
It's both - basing policy on a bogus metric will almost inevitably lead to
problems.

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tjogin
It spells disaster, for sure. But basing a rigid policy with no regard for
circumstances on a decidedly _non-bogus_ metric like body _weight_ will lead
to similar problems.

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Tichy
Still, if the proportion of people with high BMI changes, it has to mean
something. I don't think the number is quite as useless as the article makes
it out to be. But of course for individuals one might have to look at more
parameters. It is just a rough guideline.

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bhousel
I've long thought that the only real benefit to BMI is psychological - it
gives doctors a way to tell their obese patients that they need to lose weight
in a way that is less likely to hurt their feelings.

Let's face it, if someone is fat, you don't need BMI to tell you that. The
important point is that many Americans are fat, have a terrible diet, and need
to lose weight - not that the fatness formula is slightly off and gives a few
too many false positives.

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edfgtrfgh
So I'm not fat - I'm big muscled?

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mmt
BMI suffers from the GIGO problem, since its inputs are height and weight. It
is no more valid than the "height/weight" tables that were the fad previously.

