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The problem stems from the fact that BMI is an inaccurate measure of health, Ahima said.

So why is the measurement so widely used? "Because it's simple," Ahima said, adding that it's easy to weigh people and measure their height. For most people, BMI provides a "reasonable measure" of body fat, but is not accurate for athletes (who weigh more because of muscle) or older people who have lost height, he said.

There's no single number that can represent a healthy weight, Ahima said. It depends on starting weight, genetics and gender, among other factors.

Obesity is a complex disorder — it's not just having too much fat, he said. It's important to consider fat in relation to the amount of muscle.

thibodeaux wrote:Look in the goddamn mirror.

Malcolm wrote:If they weren't using the BMI to diagnose medical conditions, I wouldn't give a shit.

I think it's reasonable for most people

"It's a preliminary screening tool. Higher BMI is associated with higher health risk, but it's not a health state," says Dr. Deborah Burnet, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago who didn't work on the study.

Some provisions of the Affordable Care Act and rules proposed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission would allow employers to charge unhealthy employees up to 30 percent of health care costs based on conditions like being overweight or obese.
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"We have this laser focus on weight, when this measure of body size doesn't get under the skin of what healthy markers are," she says. "We need to focus on actual health markers, rather than this outdated, very broad measure called BMI."