BMI - Is it relavent?

[Vixen]

Do you think a person with a BMI below 18.5 (some people even consider 20 as the lowest limit) or above 25 can still be healthy? Should it still be the primary way to conclude if some one is over or under weight?

I think it´s a good basic guidline, but factors such as bone structure, body fat and distribuition, muscle mass and overall body shape should also be take into consideration. BMI does not distinguish between bone, fat and muscle, only height and weight.

[Matilda]

I don't think it's that relevant. My Bmi is 16.6 and I still look healthy.

[Odoacer]

BMI is a useful gauge for persons with a predominantly sedentary lifestyle & for tracking health trends in large populations. But yes, individual variation matters so BMI can't be applied rigidly to all persons, & should be considered only in conjuction with other factors.

[PetiteParisienne]

You guys are spot-on. BMI is ok as a guideline, but that's it.

[Damião de Góis]

I scored 23.9

[Fortis in Arduis]

If you can pinch more than an inch, simply follow the Tic-Tac diet by having one Tic-Tac for breakfast, lunch and dinner and you'll be just fine.

I had a BMI of just over 25, but someone (myself) should have stopped me from eating before I got fat, irrespective of BMI, which is a statisticians invention like the obesity-inducing USA food pyramid recommendations.

My BMI with my body type should be much less then 25.

One knows if one's body is fat if anything wobbles, and if that happens, one should enjoy a Tic-Tac and a Marlboro Light instead of carbs, and try to change the channel on one's TV more often as this helps to burn extra calories and time whilst waiting to shrink.

[Vixen]

I scored 23.9

19.5 here

[LadyFirehawk]

The BMI scale itself is rather flawed, to say the least. The formula only uses the square of height, but volume (and mass) actually increases in a cubic manner in relation to height. (Look up the Square-Cube Rule in order to get a better explanation than I can provide. ) So while BMI might be useful at the shorter end, it becomes more and more inaccurate the taller a person gets.

[Jon Snow]

The BMI scale itself is rather flawed, to say the least. The formula only uses the square of height, but volume (and mass) actually increases in a cubic manner in relation to height. (Look up the Square-Cube Rule in order to get a better explanation than I can provide. ) So while BMI might be useful at the shorter end, it becomes more and more inaccurate the taller a person gets.

Yes, that's certainly a flaw with the BMI system.

Another is, as mentioned, things like muscle mass (which is good) and bone density (which cannot be controlled) are not factored in to what is, in the end, an extremely oversimplified equation.

This man was morbidly obese by BMI standards at his physical peak: