There’s a huge problem with the analysis right there. They used BMI to determine whether a person is of normal weight or not. BMI is totally useless. Quite laughably, it doesn’t even account for gender. Let alone bone structure or muscularity. I’m not sure why anyone uses BMI for anything.[/quote]
there’s going to be intrinsic problems with any attempt to measure the entire human population with a standard index.
that said, BMI is actually quite accurate for the general population. With professional athletes being the most obvious exception to the rule. Bone structure, surprisingly, is very similar in folks within the same height and gender group, so unfortunately the “big bone” theory is a myth.
What is more problematic is how we interpret the BMI. Unfortunately, for the most part, this country does a poor job figuring out that the BMI scale is very different for the various racial groups.
For example, criteria of BMI of 30 and higher is the state of obesity, a time when metabolic syndrome takes hold and leads to morbidity. The latest study confirms that folks can get up to BMI of 29 and still do quite well. Well, this really only apply to people with Western European/Northern European ancestry.
For African Americans, that BMI threshold should be higher at 33. For Mediterraneans and the Middle Easterners, that BMI threshold should be around 27. Same goes for Hispanics. As for East Asians, now you are looking at 25. For Southeast Asians, that threshold is more like 23.
We are suppose to be a multi-racial society, yet BMI wise we are all just Western Europeans. Go figure that one out.
