Like so many women I know, I’ve struggled with body image issues. There have been years filled with anxiety over my weight, times when I skipped meals and pushed myself to unhealthy limits. I reflect on my early 20s—when I was at my thinnest, surviving on nothing but coffee until dinner—and realize that I was neither happier nor healthier during that time. Ironically, those were the years when the medical community deemed me “healthy” simply because I was 30 pounds lighter and had a “normal” BMI.
Oh, BMI. Why does the medical industry cling so tightly to this metric?
BMI, or Body Mass Index, is a formula that compares height and weight to classify individuals as “normal,” “overweight,” or “obese.” This number is supposed to offer insight into one’s overall health, but there are numerous flaws in this approach. Even many healthcare professionals recognize its shortcomings. Dr. Mark Thompson, a physician at a leading health institution, notes, “BMI doesn’t measure health or physiological states like blood pressure or cholesterol levels. It’s merely a size indicator. Many individuals with both high and low BMIs can be healthy, while those with a normal BMI might face health issues.”
Dr. Thompson illustrates his point with an example: someone who smokes may have a “normal” BMI but still be at a higher risk for heart disease compared to someone with a higher BMI who leads a healthy lifestyle. BMI fails to consider many factors, such as muscle mass, fat distribution, genetic predisposition, activity levels, and overall health habits.
Interestingly, BMI’s origins date back to the 1830s when Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, a Belgian mathematician and sociologist—not a doctor—developed it to measure population statistics, not individual health. Quetelet’s calculations were based on a narrow demographic of French and Scottish individuals, making it an outdated and biased measure. It’s no surprise that my own curvy Eastern European Jewish frame is classified as “overweight” by these outdated standards.
While Dr. Thompson suggests that BMI shouldn’t be entirely dismissed, it should serve only as one piece of a larger health puzzle. I understand this perspective, but I argue that any measurement that labels individuals as “overweight” or “obese” can be damaging. These labels can stick with you, impacting self-esteem and leading to unhealthy relationships with food and body image.
Weight can indeed correlate with health, but it is often unjustly blamed for a multitude of issues when considered in isolation. Like the toxic diet culture that promotes unrealistic beauty standards, BMI should be reevaluated and replaced. It stigmatizes people throughout their lives and is rooted in a narrow understanding of human diversity.
For instance, when I input my height and weight into an online BMI calculator, it deemed me “overweight” with a BMI of 25. Yet, I exercise regularly, eat nutritious foods, and just had a check-up that confirmed I’m in excellent health. My heart is strong, my lungs are clear, and my blood pressure is normal. So, to BMI, I say: your meaningless number does not define my health or my worth.
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In summary, BMI is an outdated and flawed measure that fails to capture the complexities of individual health. Rather than relying on a simplistic number, we should focus on a holistic view of well-being that considers various personal health factors.