Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
"BMI is trash. Full stop." This controversial tweet received 26,500 likes and almost 3000 retweets. The 400 comments from medical and nonhealthcare personnel ranged from agreeable to contrary to offensive.
Regardless of your opinion on BMI (body mass index), this conversation highlighted that the medical community needs to discuss the limitations of BMI and decide its future.
As a Black woman who is an obesity expert living with the impact of obesity in my own life, I know the emotion that a BMI conversation can evoke. Before emotions hijack the conversation, let's discuss BMI's past, present, and future.
Regardless of your opinion on BMI (body mass index), this conversation highlighted that the medical community needs to discuss the limitations of BMI and decide its future.
As a Black woman who is an obesity expert living with the impact of obesity in my own life, I know the emotion that a BMI conversation can evoke. Before emotions hijack the conversation, let's discuss BMI's past, present, and future.
BMI: From Observational Measurement to Clinical Use
Imagine walking into your favorite clothing store where an eager clerk greets you with a shirt to try on. The fit is off, but the clerk insists that the shirt must fit because everyone who's your height should be able to wear it. This scenario seems ridiculous. But this is how we've come to use the BMI. Instead of thinking that people of the same height may be the same size, we declare that they must be the same size.
When Do We Stop Using BMI to Diagnose Obesity?
The body mass index (BMI) is a flawed tool used broadly to diagnose obesity. Dr Sylvia Gonsahn-Bollie argues that it is time to retire BMI and use other tools to determine body size.
www.medscape.com