BMI test 'badly flawed'

kitten_caboodle

kitten_caboodle

kitten_caboodle

Soldato
Joined
21 Jul 2005
Posts
5,463
Location
Frack off, nosey
Most of us are aware that the BMI isn't relevant in all cases, but this was quite an interesting finding imo. Kinda contradicts a lot of things been said in recent fat v thin debates re health and longevity.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/17082006/325/standard-obesity-test-badly-flawed.html
in particular...

yahoo news said:
Writing in Friday's Lancet medical journal, the researchers from the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, Rochester, Minnesota, found that patients with a low BMI had a higher risk of death from heart disease than those with normal BMI.

At the same time overweight patients had better survival rates and fewer heart problems than those with a normal BMI
Click to expand...
 
You can't trust the report at all - There's too much of a vested interest in discrediting the BMI.

I mean, really - The Mayo Clinic College? We all know that's just a front for Helman's.















I swear to God, I'll stop soon.

I just don't want to do any real work today.
 
I think it has been known for a long time that skinny people are at high risk. Basically being inbetween the two extremes is the healthiest.
 
I think region and diet play a role. Obese sausage eating beer slurping Belguims will most likely live longer than Obese doughnut eating shake slurping americans.
 
Most people with an interest in such matters have considered BMI as useless for many years. It is good that further research has backed up that case.

My BMI classifies me as obese, I am not, I am very fit and muscular. It is just the way I am. The old story is one of the England Rugby World CUp winning team, every single one of them would be classed as obese under BMI, clealry that isn't true as every single one of them is an exteremely fit, world class athlete. (Even the fat boys at the front:D )
 
It's not so much a problem with the BMI index itself, as it has only ever meant to have been used as an indicator of general health for the average person, hence why as AJUK mentioned you get anomalies amongst athletes and suchlike - the problem is that people have adopted the BMI as gospel and ran all sorts of conjecture that high BMI = unhealthy = must be bad for heart disease without actually testing it properly.

It's not a reason to say "well, I'm a 38.5 BMI but it got proved wrong so pass me the pies', a high BMI in an average, non-athletic person is still reason for concern.

FWIW as a rugby player I'm borderline obese too :p
 
Its a useful tool to get a general idea about somones stature/health.

theres always exceptions

and yeah im starting to get fed up with all the fat threads :)
 
Efour2 said:
Its a useful tool to get a general idea about somones stature/health.

theres always exceptions

and yeah im starting to get fed up with all the fat threads :)
Click to expand...

if your the mythical 'average' person then yes. as most of us are not of this mythical bodytype its meaningless.
my BMI is near 40 putting me in clinically obese, my bf% is just outside of the 'ok' area for men.

excellent scale that one :]
 
Most doctors know that BMI is a crude scale although it does have it's advantages. It's a quick and relatively good predictor of health although it is flawed. Muscle weighs more than fat so obviously a well built guy is going to have a high BMI whereas he might be the "perfect" build. Waist/hip measurements, body fat percentages and the like are also similar. I think just a combination of these factors is needed. The research just shows too little of something can be as bad as too much of something.
 
It can be done in less than a minute which is why it's still about. Though there are lots of factors, e.g. the French paradox or muscular/bulky people that can often determine overall health and life expectancy.
 
Last edited:
Interesting debate - dont know what to think really :confused:

My BMI is around 30-32 I think, yet I'm just under 21 stone and quite big with it. I workout 5 times a week now and see a personal trainer twice in those 5 sessions. I have lost nearly 2 stone in 8 months but my BMI is still considered too high - and I'm as fit as I ever have been. Is that still classed as obese?
 
Morba said:
if your the mythical 'average' person then yes. as most of us are not of this mythical bodytype its meaningless.
my BMI is near 40 putting me in clinically obese, my bf% is just outside of the 'ok' area for men.

excellent scale that one :]
Click to expand...

If you arent extremly muscular and only do average excercise, ie dont go to the gym or do lots of physical work then you are the so called 'average' person. BMI works to some extent for most people but as others have said it can only be taken as an indicator of general health and should be used in conjunction with other tests.

As for the report it doesn't really come up with anything new, it just confirms whats been said for a long time, extremes are bad, too skinny and too fat are just as bad as each other.

Skinny people who eat lots of fatty foods but dont get fat are probably more likely to die of heart disease as a fat person who eats healthily but just cant shed the pounds.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom