By Angela Tufvesson -
Body mass index is an easy way to measure whether you’re in a healthy weight range, but a growing number of medical experts question its accuracy and one-size-fits-all approach.
Do you know your body mass index (BMI)? This simple calculation (Divide your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared) is one of the most common methods used to estimate total body fat and determine whether you’re in a healthy weight range. It’s also a popular method to assess risk for chronic conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
The trouble is that medical experts are becoming increasingly worried about the inability of BMI to differentiate between fat and muscle mass, as well as identifying parts of the body where we store unhealthy types of fat. In light of this, can we trust BMI to measure our health or are there more accurate alternatives?
