Truth about the Body Mass Index
Dr Mark Porter is a family doctor in the UK and in his 50s. He\u2019s tall and slim and thinks he\u2019s fit and healthy \u2013 after all he goes to the gym several times a week. Mark meets experts who measure his weight, height and body fat to find out if he is as healthy as he seems.
He begins by finding out his BMI, or body mass index, a term more and more people are using all over the world. It\u2019s an indicator of whether he is too fat, too thin or just right. It\u2019s relatively easy to work out with a calculator \u2013 he divides his weight in kilograms by the square of his height in metres.
Mark compares his BMI against two other ways of measuring body fat, the true test of whether he is overweight or not. Is his BMI as accurate as the results of body fat calculations derived by measuring skin folds and an ultra accurate DEXA scan?
(Photo: Overweight man measuring his waist. Credit: Science Photo Library)