Mar 15, 2021
Dr Spencer Nadolsky (obesity specialist) in a recent instagram post:
“Saying the BMI is a useless indicator of health is like saying cholesterol or most other markers we measure are useless indicators of health. We must still evaluate the Whole individual and look at it all in context.”
“Body Mass Index” is NOT a worthless measure. It’s a quick screening tool that should be used correctly and assessed on an individual level before diagnosing overweight/obesity vs. muscular athletes vs. non athletes or elderly with sarcopenia)”
"A lean young male with a BMI of 27 is very different from an abdominally obese post-menopausal female with the same BMI. BMI doesn’t take many things into account, such as muscle mass. If everyone could get their body fat measurements taken via DEXA, doctors would just use that, but that isn’t always feasible."