Chapter 09 — Big & Curious
Is BMI accurate?
As a population screen, roughly. For individuals it fails muscular people (over-classifies as overweight) and thin people with high body fat (under-classifies). Waist-to-height ratio and body-fat percentage give a better personal picture.
Follow-up questions
What's a healthier alternative?
Waist circumference under half your height, or a DEXA scan for precise body-fat and muscle mass.
Why do doctors still use BMI?
It's cheap, fast, and correlates with health outcomes across large groups even if it's crude for individuals.
What BMI is healthy?
18.5–24.9 by WHO definition, though 25–27 is often not a health concern if body composition and metabolic markers are fine.
Does ethnicity change the cutoffs?
Yes — South Asian populations see higher metabolic risk at lower BMIs (23+ is often flagged).
People also search
- waist to height ratio
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