Not that this is about BMI, but I think it's gotten a bad rap because of its exceptions and possibly because of even talking about the categories. Unless I'm an athlete or aged, it's still considered a decent predictor of risk. Why do they have to label a weight "overweight'? Why don't they just say that the risk factors are higher for higher numbers? Because statisically, they are higher. Proponents don't claim that every individual with a certain BMI is unhealthy, just that the risks go up. It's the vanity issue that makes people get up in arms, IMHO. Besides, in the long run, it's society that dictates what's considered fat and really fat, which is what deep down people think about overweight and obese, basically. I hope no one thinks of this as cruel; I'm just trying to point out what's prevalent.
Many point to the waist circumference as a better predictor, though it is criticized because the cut-off of what is a healthy one or not is debatable.
However, from The Archives of Internal Medicine:
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/conten ... 62/18/2074
With few exceptions, within the 3 BMI categories, those with high WC values were increasingly likely to have hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and the metabolic syndrome compared with those with normal WC values. Many of these associations remained significant after adjusting for the confounding variables (age, race, poverty-income ratio, physical activity, smoking, and alcohol intake) in normal-weight, overweight, and class I obese women and overweight men.
Put the two together?
(from The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition)
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/79/3/379
Conclusions: WC (waist circumference), and not BMI, explains obesity-related health risk. Thus, for a given WC value, overweight and obese persons and normal-weight persons have comparable health However, when WC is dichotomized as normal or high, BMI remains a significant predictor of health risk.
The one that the fitness crowd likes to throw around is bodyfat and health risks, but it's even harder to find much real data (search Google Scholar, not regular google) that shows that the recommendations they make are accurate. The medical lit seems to support health for much higher bodyfat percentages than the P90X crowd tolerates. Women of all ages can be as high as 30% bf and not have health risks. The eye of the beholder may not be so generous.
Count plates, not calories. 11 years "during"
Age 69
BMI Jan/10-30.8
1/12-26.8 3/13-24.9 +/- 8-lb. 3 yrs
9/17 22.8 (flux) 3/18 22.2
2 yrs flux 6/20 22
1/21-23
There is no S better than Vanilla No S (mods now as a senior citizen)