Re: Body Mass Calculator

In article <1146591318.850308.208680@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
PeterB <pkm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

vernon wrote:
"PeterB" <pkm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:1146583245.523600.103600@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

David Wright wrote:
In article <1146497093.261275.197450@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
PeterB <pkm@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
http://nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

Please note that "body mass index" is not terribly useful for anyone
aside from sedentary populations. Just because it says you're
'overweight' doesn't mean you are, and just because it says you're NOT
overweight isn't an automatic reason to relax.

Nonsense. If you fall within the recommended ranges, you know you're
better off (statistically) than those who don't.

The heavier you are, the more it hurts when you fall and the harder it is to
get up.

My stupidity being said, body mass calculator is often not usefull only
because of innacuracy.
For instance, I have large bones and have a better than normal muscle mass.
When I use the "calculator", I am "fat"
When I use the water displacement, impedance measurement or professional
pinch test, I am very lean.

BMI is based on what's true for most people, but will overestimate body
fat in a few (probably less than 2%.) It will even underestimate body
fat in a few, mainly the elderly.

Whenever I see the word "probably" in a PeterB posting, I now know it
translates into "this is something I wish were true, I have no
evidence that it's true, and it usually isn't true."

Such is the case, here. I've just spent some time rummaging around in
PubMed, and I find that BMI correlates quite poorly with body fat
percentages in many populations. It works OK in girls and quite
poorly in adolescent boys, and it's all over the map much of the rest
of the time.

BMI also tends to underestimate obesity (where obesity refers to
percentage of bodyfat).

-- David Wright :: alphabeta at prodigy.net
These are my opinions only, but they're almost always correct.
"If you can't say something nice, then sit next to me."
-- Alice Roosevelt Longworth
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Body Mass Calculator
    ... PeterB wrote: ... body mass calculator is often not usefull only ... BMI is based on what's true for most people, ... fat in a few, mainly the elderly. ...
    (misc.health.alternative)
  • Re: Body Mass Calculator
    ... PeterB wrote: ... body mass calculator is often not usefull only ... BMI is based on what's true for most people, ... fat in a few, mainly the elderly. ...
    (misc.health.alternative)
  • Re: Body Mass Calculator
    ... PeterB wrote: ... body mass calculator is often not usefull only ... BMI is based on what's true for most people, ... fat in a few, mainly the elderly. ...
    (misc.health.alternative)
  • Re: Body Mass Calculator
    ... Please note that "body mass index" is not terribly useful for anyone ... aside from sedentary populations. ... 'overweight' doesn't mean you are, and just because it says you're NOT ... body mass calculator is often not usefull only ...
    (misc.health.alternative)