BMI is a good measure of health after all

A new study from the University of Bristol supports body mass index (BMI) as a useful tool for assessing obesity and health. A simple measure based on weight and height, BMI is widely used to assess if a person is of a healthy weight. But its reliability as a health measure is often criticised, as it does not distinguish fat from muscle and does not tell us where body fat is stored. Using body scans from 2,840 young people aged 10 and 18 in Bristol's Children of the 90s population study, researchers examined BMI findings against more detailed measures of fat. They studied the effects of total fat, along with fat in the trunk, arms and legs, on 230 different traits relevant to metabolism and future heart disease risk, such as cholesterol and blood pressure. These effects were compared with those seen when using BMI as a measure. The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology , found that higher total fat at age 10 and 18 was associated with damaging levels of cardiometabolic traits such as higher blood pressure and adverse cholesterol and inflammatory profiles at age 18.