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Written By: Agencies | Published : February 5, 2016 12:11 PM IST
Do you check your BMI very often to find out how healthy you are? In what could be the death knell for that once-vaunted measure of health known as Body Mass Index (BMI), a new study has revealed that it incorrectly categorizes millions of obese people as unhealthy. The study led by UCLA psychologists has found that using BMI to gauge health incorrectly labels more than 54 million Americans as unhealthy, even though they are not. Lead author A. Janet Tomiyama said that many people see obesity as a death sentence, but the data show there are tens of millions of people who are overweight and obese and are perfectly healthy. The scientists analyzed the link between BMI, which is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in meters and several health markers, including blood pressure and glucose, cholesterol and triglyceride levels, using data from the most recent National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. (Read: What is BMI? How do I calculate it? All your questions about BMI answered)
The study found that more than 30 percent of those with BMIs in the normal range, about 20.7 million people, are actually unhealthy based on their other health data; more than 2 million people who are considered very obese by virtue of having a BMI of 35 or higher are actually healthy. Tomiyama noted that there are healthy people who could be penalized based on a faulty health measure, while the unhealthy people of normal weight will fly under the radar and won't get charged more for their health insurance. Employers, policy makers and insurance companies should focus on actual health markers. Co-author Jeffrey Hunger said the research shows that BMI is a deeply flawed measure of health, adding that this should be the final nail in the coffin for BMI. The study appears in International Journal of Obesity. (Read: I have very low BMI what can do to be healthier)
Source: ANI
Photo source: Getty images (Image for representational purpose only)
