A study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic says that excess body-fat is associated with early signals of heart disease, EVEN in people whose BMI is considered normal.
Their findings, presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session, put into question the effectiveness of the BMI as the primary measure of obesity.
It is amazing that it has taken this long.
The main limitation of this measure of obesity is not the BMI itself, but in it’s implementation. The medical community made a mistake by relying on a ‘one size fits all’ tool like the BMI. Obesity is not a ‘one size fits all’ problem.
The BMI index was meant to be used as “a simple means of classifying sedentary (physically inactive) individuals with an average body composition”.
The key word is average. Not tall people. Not short people. Not muscular people. Not “big boned” people.
AVERAGE people.
I have been helping people eliminate their body-fat and transform their bodies for over 15 years, and I have never had a client who was an AVERAGE person. There is no ‘one size fits all’.
Current research shows that obesity has a very strong genetic component. Like most medical conditions, having a genetic propensity towards obesity does not mean that you will be fat. The lifestyle that you choose to live will determine whether or not you fulfill your genetic predisposition.
Instead of using a BMI, I track my clients’ progress with individualized tools like circumference measurements or calipers or electrical impedance scales.
Note – I was made aware of this study by an article available at this blog. Take a look.
DR
Diets-explained 
SERIOUSLY amazing and baffling it has taken this long.