6 Reasons Why BMI is BS • The Whole Beet Kitchen

BMI is heavily present in our world. From gyms and doctors offices to “biggest loser” breakroom competitions, media reports and insurance companies. This crude measurement categorizes people’s weight into ranges solely based on height and weight. And it uses language like “normal,” “underweight”, “overweight”, or “ob*se” to describe and categorize a person’s body. A lot of people recognize that there’s a problem with BMI. And many experts acknowledge that BMI is not an accurate measure of health or adiposity (body fat). Yet, it is still widely accepted and continues to be relied upon as a measure for defining someone’s health. And it’s this over-reliance that is actively causing harm to our health. A lot of people don’t realize how messed up this standard tool really is. So, let’s dig in and learn about why BMI is BS.

The Many Reasons Why BMI is BS:

1. BMI wasn’t designed for use on individual bodies.

Did you know the origin of BMI is 200 years old?? Yeah, you read that right. TWO HUNDRED years!! This is reason alone to raise suspicion about why BMI is BS. A Belgian mathematician, statistician, and astronomer, named Adolphe Quetelet, created it in the early 19^th century.

Adolphe interestingly was NOT a physician nor did he study medicine – no joke. Let that sink in. The formula, weight divided by height squared, that is currently used today as a measurement of health was invented by a person who was not an expert in medicine, let alone an expert in what was little known about the human body at the time. And it’s my understanding that it was decided to square the height in order to force his data to work, not because it made sense physiologically. Not to mention rigging an equation to conform to your data is a scientific hack job. So why did he dream up this formula?? Because had a thing for understanding the characteristics of “the average man,” who, in his opinion, represented the “societal ideal.”

His invention of the BMI formula, originally named ”Quetelet’s Index”, was intended to quantify “the average man’s” weight. And who did he base his data on? All European white dudes. The BMI at it’s core does not account for race, gender, age, ability, ethnicity and other social determinants. His equation was designed for the use of statistics and was intended to measure populations. It was never intended to be used for individuals, let alone an individual’s health.

2. The Politics of BMI are Sketchy

It wasn’t until years later, in 1972, that “Quetelet’s Index” was rebranded as the “Body Mass Index.” Medical science wanted to find a tool for measuring for an individual’s body fat. And among several other flawed indices it was decided “Quetlet’s Index” was the strongest indicator, despite that the equation was not created for such purpose and despite it’s MANY flaws. And just like that a random historical index entered into the world of healthcare.

It was also around this time that Met Life was searching for a way to correlate insurance risk with body size so they could charge higher premiums. “In fact, the entire concept that excess weight can make for an early grave first came from studies done by our country’s insurance industry, not the medical community.”

In the 80’s BMI became a public health international standard. And this standard was set by the World Health Organization (WHO), who relied on the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF) to make the recommendations. At the time the two biggest funders of the IOTF were pharmaceutical companies who just happened to have the ONLY weight-loss drugs on the market. “In other words, the pharmaceutical industry who had a vested interest in making us believe fat is dangerous – and that they have the solution – wrote the BMI standards that are currently used.”

Fast forward to the 21^st century, where there’s a massive preoccupation with weight.

No doubt in part due to the major emphasis placed on an individual’s BMI status. We’ve been lead to believe our bodies fit into categories, which assumes that there are “correct” or “healthy” and “incorrect” or “unhealthy” weights our bodies should be at **insert eye roll.

This emphasis on BMI has contributed to an increase and interest in weight loss programs, diet tools, drinks, books, pills, etc. And the only people that seem to be benefiting from these products is the industry supplying them. From this obsession with weight, the consequences of dieting for the purpose of weight loss seem to be increasing. And paradoxically we’re NOT seeing a healthier population but a population with: increased preoccupation with food and weight, eating disorders, weight cycling, decreased self-esteem, and so many other issues impacting physical and mental well-being. So this could make one question (and a lot of people have) the validity of BMI.

3. BMI doesn’t take into account different types of body mass.

BMI’s only factors are weight and height. And it’s intended “purpose” is to determine body fat mass. It cannot distinguish between all the different types of body mass that influence weight. Such as fat, lean body mass, skeletal tissue, muscle or fluid weight. So a person can have a higher BMI and it may related to things associated with fitness and good health.

4. BMI does not determine how healthy you are.

There is an abundance of research that indicates the improvement of health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, atherosclerosis and a host of other conditions, are through nutrition and activity habits, independent of weight loss. Even the CDC has openly stated, “At an individual level, BMI is not diagnostic of the body fatness or health of the individual.” And yet, many are still using this problematic, archaic and nonsensical equation to determine “health.”

5. “Killer Disease?” Or Promotion of Toxic Oppressive Stigma?

A common misconception is that a higher BMI equates to a shorter life. However, the research has shown that those who are “overweight” or “ob*se” are living at least as long as, and often longer than, normal weight people. And not only has no one ever proved that losing weight will prolong life, the idea that weight causes many diseases is also unproven.

The health of an individual is so complex. So, to say that one single number is a “quick” and “convenient” tool to determine someone’s health as opposed to completing a thorough assessment is….well, complete BS. And using BMI for the purpose of assessing a person’s morbidity/mortality ignores other factors at play: i.e. family history, smoking and/or alcohol use/abuse, dieting history, etc.

Moreover, the reality is bodies exist in all shapes and sizes. Even if we all ate the same and moved the same, we would all look different. So pathologizing body sizes and assigning a “disease” (ob*sity) to a certain body sizes that exist naturally is dehumanizing. And frankly…it’s messed up. So much harm is being done, so many biased assumptions are made and so much weight stigma is at play. As people are stereotyped, medical conditions may go unnoticed and undiagnosed and appropriate medical investigations and interventions may not happen. And a focus on a need to lose weight in order to achieve ” optimal health” is feeding into toxic stigma. Ultimately leading to or furthering negative mental and physical health outcomes – stress, anxiety, reluctance to seek medical treatment and more.

6. A focus on BMI does not consider behavioral, societal or biological determinants.

Eating fruits and veggies, not smoking, stress management, physical activity and limiting alcohol consumption are key behavioral factors associated with good health, independent of weight. And extensive evidence shows intentional weight loss efforts and diet cycling result in weight cycling, not maintained weight loss. And it’s this cycling that is damaging to health. Weight fluctuation is strongly associated with increased risk for diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease, independent of weight. So, assuming a person’s health based on BMI and prescribing a diet for weight loss may be causing the very disease it is purported to prevent.

And while adequate nutrition and other lifestyle behaviors play an important role in determining health outcomes, they are not the main determinant. Socioeconomic factors impact an individual’s health significantly. In fact, “social differences account for most of society’s stark health differences.” And BMI in no way accounts for these social determinants.

We Need To Do Better because BMI is BS

What would it look like if we started assessing and encouraging modifiable behaviors rather than focusing on weight? And what if we focused on addressing social factors and provided resources and helped to build fair societies?

It’s abundantly clear that BMI is BS and we should not be using BMI as a tool to measure an individual’s health. Health improvements can occur in people of ALL sizes, regardless of weight. The fact that we are still using this bullshit measure of information (BMI) tool is absolutely absurd and is actively causing harm.

The bottom line is weight is something not entirely in our control. And attempting to control weight can be a recipe for disaster. Hinging health on weight not only takes the focus away from what truly affects health, but it also feeds into weight stigma, seriously negatively impacts health and prevents people from getting the support they need. In my practice, I provide care where we focus on health – not an arbitrary number on the scale. Learn more about my practice here and schedule a free intro call to find out more about working together!