Explains why BMI is not a good indicator of health.

1. Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus

4. 1. The person who dreamed up the BMI said explicitly
that it could not and should not be used to indicate the
level of fatness in an individual.
The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a
Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet. He
was a mathematician, not a physician. He produced the
formula to give a quick and easy way to measure the
degree of obesity of the general population to assist the
government in allocating resources. In other words, it is a
200-year-old hack.

5. 2. It is scientifically nonsensical.
There is no physiological reason to square a
person's height (Quetelet had to square the height
to get a formula that matched the overall data. If
you can't fix the data, rig the formula!). Moreover,
it ignores waist size, which is a clear indicator of
obesity level.

6. 3. It is physiologically wrong.
It makes no allowance for the relative proportions
of bone, muscle and fat in the body. But bone is
denser than muscle and twice as dense as fat, so a
person with strong bones, good muscle tone and
low fat will have a high BMI. Thus, athletes and fit,
health-conscious movie stars who work out a lot
tend to find themselves classified as overweight or
even obese.

7. 4. It gets the logic wrong.
The CDC says on its Web site that "the BMI is a reliable
indicator of body fatness for people." This is a fundamental
error of logic. For example, if I tell you my birthday present
is a bicycle, you can conclude that my present has wheels.
That's correct logic. But it does not work the other way
round. If I tell you my birthday present has wheels, you
cannot conclude I got a bicycle. I could have received a car.
Because of how Quetelet came up with it, if a person is fat
or obese, he or she will have a high BMI. But as with my
birthday present, it doesn't work the other way round. A
high BMI does not mean an individual is even overweight,
let alone obese. It could mean the person is fit and healthy,
with very little fat.

8. 5. It's bad statistics.
Because the majority of people today (and in Quetelet's time)
lead fairly sedentary lives and are not particularly active, the
formula tacitly assumes low muscle mass and high relative fat
content. It applies moderately well when applied to such
people because it was formulated by focusing on them. But it
gives exactly the wrong answer for a large and significant
section of the population, namely the lean, fit and healthy.
Quetelet is also the person who came up with the idea of "the
average man." That's a useful concept, but if you try to apply it
to any one person, you come up with the absurdity of a person
with 2.4 children. Averages measure entire populations and
often don't apply to individuals.

9. 6. It is lying by scientific authority.
Because the BMI is a single number between 1 and
100 (like a percentage) that comes from a
mathematical formula, it carries an air of scientific
authority. But it is mathematical snake oil.

10. 7. It suggests there are distinct categories of
underweight, ideal, overweight and obese, with
sharp boundaries that hinge on a decimal place.
That's total nonsense.

11. 8. It makes the more cynical members of society
suspect that the medical insurance industry
lobbies for the continued use of the BMI to keep
their profits high.
Insurance companies sometimes charge higher
premiums for people with a high BMI. Among such
people are all those fit individuals with good bone
and muscle and little fat, who will live long,
healthy lives during which they will have to pay
those greater premiums.

12. 9. Continued reliance on the BMI means doctors
don't feel the need to use one of the more
scientifically sound methods that are available to
measure obesity levels.
Those alternatives cost a little bit more, but they
give far more reliable results.

13. 10. It embarrasses the U.S.
It is embarrassing for one of the most scientifically,
technologically and medicinally advanced nations
in the world to base advice on how to prevent one
of the leading causes of poor health and
premature death (obesity) on a 200-year-old
numerical hack developed by a mathematician
who was not even an expert in what little was
known about the human body back then.

14. BMI of Celebs
And Athletes

15. Angelina Jolie
Estimated BMI: 17.9
The mother of six must stay
lean chasing after her
growing brood: At 5'8", our
experts say she probably
weighs about 118 lbs.
Though many people envy
her beauty and
accomplishments, her
estimated BMI of 17.9
suggests she'd be an even
better role model if she
gained some weight.

16. Beyonce
Estimated BMI: 21
This "Bootylicious" songstress gets
called curvy by the tabloids, but by
BMI standards, she's perfectly
proportioned. Our experts
estimate that Beyonce is a svelte
130 lbs. At 5'6", that gives her an
estimated BMI of 21—well within
the "normal" range.
So if Beyonce's BMI is right on
target, what about all the super-
skinny celebs that make her seem
shapely?

17. Tom Cruise
Estimated BMI: 26
He may not be scaling
mountains in his movies
anymore, but there's nothing
wrong with Cruise's current
physique—or is there?
The 5'7" star clocks in at an
estimated 166 lbs. With a
corresponding BMI of 26, he'd
be considered "overweight."

18. Tony Romo
Estimated BMI: 28.8
Whatever you think about his
performance on the field, it's hard
to deny that Romo's body is pretty
perfect. But if you go by BMI
standards, the Dallas Cowboys
quarterback is "significantly
overweight." He's listed at 6'2"
and 224 lbs., giving him a BMI of
28.8.
"A better measurement of an
athlete’s body composition
includes a comparison of lean
body mass to body fat," says
Largeman-Roth.

19. Serena Williams
Estimated BMI: 22.1
Not all athletes seem to totter
on the edge of obesity. This
super-fit tennis sensation has a
BMI of 22.1, which is well
within the normal range.
At 5'9", her competition
weight has recently been just
150 lbs., meaning she packs on
a whole lot of muscle and
practically zero fat.

20. Arnold Schwarzenegger
Estimated BMI: 30.8
This former bodybuilder
and Terminator star is the
poster child for physical
fitness. But surprise! He's
"obese"—at least according
to his BMI. He stands tall at
6'2" and our experts say
Schwarzenegger probably
weighs in at about 240 lbs.,
which would give him a
super-high BMI of 30.8.

21. Dwight Howard
BMI: 27
(Overweight)
Height: 6'11"
Weight: 265 lbs.

22. Blake Griffin
BMI: 26.3
(Overweight)
Height: 6'10"
Weight: 251 lbs.

23. Chris Paul
BMI: 25.7
(Overweight)
Height: 6'0“
Weight: 190 lbs

24. LeBron James
BMI: 27.4
(Overweight)
Height: 6'8“
Weight: 249 lbs.