BMI to be replaced with BVI?

Currently, if healthcare practitioners are trying to determine how overweight a patient is, they use the Body Mass Index, or BMI. Invented in the mid-1800s, the BMI is an international standard formula for establishing ideal body weight which involves dividing a person’s weight by the square of their height. The resulting number is then compared to those on a chart, which fall into the categories of Underweight, Normal, Overweight, Obese and Morbidly Obese. A group of international researchers, however, are proposing that the BMI be replaced with a more detailed system, the Body Volume Index, or BVI. Using a 3D white-light scanner, the BVI identifies where the fat is distributed on a patient’s body, and how that compares to what’s normal.

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It seems as though these machines are ten years in the making, have just been rolled out recently, and they constitute a much more accurate representation of true obesity. I've always been told that the biggest risk factor in obesity is when fat is centralized over the stomach, and this could be a very effective tool for that purpose. I'm sure we've all heard stories of the BMI chart classifying people that are obviously healthy as obese, particularly children and young adults. I hope this becomes widely used.

The BMI is useless. I know my type are a rarity, but the BMI does not work for people who lift weights. I'm 5'10 215 pounds and according to the BMI im morbidly obese.

Originally posted by Thyhorrorcosmic
The BMI is useless. I know my type are a rarity, but the BMI does not work for people who lift weights. I'm 5'10 215 pounds and according to the BMI im morbidly obese.

I hear ya. I'm probably not nearly as big as you but at 6'3 I look just fine at 209lbs right now because I work out and have muscle mass. Last caliper test was about 15-20 lbs heavier and was at 17% body fat. My biggest problem with BMI is because my legs are huge but you can barely even grab them with calipers at the thigh.

I would be curious to see how accurate this is but it sure seems easier to me for somebody to spend 15-20 bucks on fat caliper set or just get measured that way.

www.sport-fitness-advisor.com...