BMI
What is the BMI? (formula)
BMI = kg/m2 (there is no reason to square someone’s height, only for mathematical reasons)
What demographic (group of people) characteristics was the BMI based upon?
utilized cis-gendered, heteronormative, white men of upper class in France during the 1830’s. The BMI was created from research on male populations. An entirely different formula was originally used for female populations, and yet, doctors use the same equation for both genders.
The populations general height and weight was much shorter and lower than today (190 years ago).
Who developed the 1200 calorie guidelines for women?
Dr. Lulu Peters, who recommended that every woman count every morsel of food she eats and to eat no more than 1200 calories.
When was the BMI created?
1830
How many times has the BMI been updated?
1998 the BMI was changed so that the ”overweight” category went from 27 to 25.
30,500,000 became overweight overnight.
This was an arbitrary change with no empirically based reason.
When was it created and why?
This was first proposed In 1918. It really goes back to late 19th-century Europe, and especially in Germany, they were doing a lot of work on calories and calorie counting. For some reason, even though Europeans remained to a certain extent dubious about the worth of calorie counting and dieting, it took off in America in a really big way. And while 1,200 calories isn’t enough for most adult bodies, it’s not like it’s a completely arbitrary number; it came from calculations during the late Victorian period, a measurement of calories in, calories out.
Who created the BMI?
The BMI was introduced in the early 19th century by a Belgian named Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet.
Is the BMI a good predictor of health?
In 2010, a study conducted by Schneider proved that the BMI was a poor predictor of health and essentially irrelevant.
Heavy reliance on BMI by insurance companies: suspect that the medical insurance industry lobbies for the continued use of the BMI to keep their profits high.
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 body composition.
Project Implicit at Harvard University proved that medical doctors live with strong anti-fat bias.
What happens on a 1200 calorie diet?
Sometimes, at first, you will lose weight on this very low-calorie diet…until your body decides enough is enough and slows your metabolism down so you’re not starving anymore. At that point, your weight plateaus and you might find it very easy to gain that weight back.
Why was the BMI created?
The BMI was created by a mathematician, not a physician, who was trying to assess the collective weight of a population. It was never created for, nor intended to be used, on individuals. However, the ease of the formula made it more convenient for doctors and insurance companies to use rather than more complex measures of fat composition such as skin-fold caliper testing or underwater weight displacement testing, so it became the norm.
Being “overweight” causes health problems like diabetes, heart disease, etc
We don't know for sure that being overweight causes the health problems it's been associated with. It could be a combination of many things. For example, people who have high BMIs also tend to have a history of dieting. And research has shown that yo-yo dieting, or fluctuating in weight, has a negative impact on your overall health.
Why did it become so popular?
Peter’s book "Diet and Health: with keys to calories" came out around the end of World War I, and while rationing wasn’t law, for some it was important for Americans not to hoard food “in their own anatomy. It was one of the first modern diet books ever released. As the beauty ideals were changing from bosomy women with cinched waists in corsets to women with thin, slender frames in straight loose dresses, she suggested calorie counting to lose weight. This book, a bestseller in both 1924 and 1925, helped popularize the diet that has in large part influenced calorie counting for nearly 100 years.
What does the BMI NOT take into account?
Genetics
Gender
Race
Growth Chart
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.
Does a low BMI ensure good health? Why or why not?
Focusing on BMI and weight keeps doctors and other experts from seeing the real issues behind disease. It goes back to the difference between "association" and "cause." Research hasn't proven weight to be the cause of most of the things we say it causes.
For who/what is a 1200 calorie diet enough for?
1,200 calories is only enough daily nutrition if you’re an “8oish lb dog” or a toddler.