How does bmi account for muscle

Because muscles are more dense and heavier than fat, bodybuilders and other professional athletes like football players are often considered obese or overweight based on their BMI alone. Someone who has a high BMI due to muscle mass most likely doesn't need to worry about the health problems associated with obesity and being overweight. Scott Kahan, the director of the National Center for Weight and Wellness , told WebMD that there are plenty of people who are overweight according to BMI, but still healthy according to other indicators.

And yet on every level that we look at, their health is actually quite good. Their cholesterol and blood pressure are excellent. Their blood sugar is excellent. They don't seem to have any health effects associated with their excess weight. This is sometimes called metabolically healthy obesity. Because BMI can't holistically show a person's health, having a doctor test your cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar is a good way to evaluate how your body size is really affecting your health.

If you're generally fit and active, you're going to be healthier than someone who isn't, regardless of their BMI. According to a study done on veterans with type 2 diabetes , a person's level of fitness predicts their mortality better than BMI. Richard Atkinson, a researcher and editor of the International Journal of Obesity, told WebMD that older people who are slightly overweight tend to live longer than leaner elderly people, though the reasons for that are unknown.

Studies have shown that Asians have a greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes at a lower BMI and have a higher mortality risk for being overweight at a lower BMI. They're also less likely to have fat concentrated in the belly area. Waist size linked to diabetes risk, regardless of BMI.

Waist-to-height ratio better than BMI. An example of the biggest flaw in using BMI. Share on Pinterest Wrestler Steve Austin, at the height of his career weighed kg lbs. He was 6ft 2ins tall. His BMI at Authorities still promote BMI. Written by Christian Nordqvist on August 25, Latest news Scientists identify new cause of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes.

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Obesity: High fat diet breaks the body clock in rats. Medically reviewed by Grant Tinsley, PhD. Obesity: Exercising, not dieting, may be key to avoiding health risks New research suggests that improving fitness is at least as effective as weight loss for staving off obesity-related cardiovascular disease and… READ MORE. To get your new RFM measurement, you measure your height and waist circumference, then plug the figures into this formula:.

And the new calculations seem to stand up, too. Based on data from 3, adult patients in the US, the RFM measurements closely matched those taken by a high-tech DXA body scan , widely considered the gold standard for measuring body tissue, bone, muscle and fat. In other words, RFM was almost as good a gauge of body fat as a specialist bit of medical equipment — and all it needs is a tape measure. The RFM calculations were more accurate than more than other formulas the researchers tried.

It's hoped that the new calculations will help anyone struggling with weight issues and associated health problems like diabetes and high blood pressure to better track their body fat levels. For now though, more research across a greater number and a greater variety of people is required to make sure RFM is as accurate as its creators think it is.