#HEALTHY BMI FOR WOMEN CALCULATOR SKIN#

In the early 1900s, studies were done-primarily based on a white, male population-to try to determine the “ideal body weight.” Mixed results from tests of basic tools to measure body fat-like water displacement and skin calipers-led to the conclusion that the simple math of BMI should set the standard. His sample group of high-income, mostly white men aimed to estimate typical sizes of the total population for the purpose of distributing resources. It wasn’t even created by medical experts.ĭeveloped by a 19th century astronomer as a population census tool, the BMI formula was never intended as a measurement of health.īMI came from the work of a 19th century Belgian astronomer who was designing a population census in the Netherlands.

Here’s a fact that may surprise you: When it was developed in the 19th century, the BMI formula was never intended as a measurement of health-especially the health of a diverse population. When you consider the odd, Victorian-era beginnings of the modern-day BMI calculator, you’ll understand why. “And using a weight-based tool like BMI to draw conclusions about a person’s health adds to the confusion.” “Despite assumptions we’ve come to accept as facts, the evidence linking weight and health is inconsistent,” Russell says.

Studies have also shown that BMI can mislabel a person’s health when compared to objective measures, like results from tests for cholesterol and blood-sugar levels. For example, new research has shown that some people in the “overweight” BMI category have a lower risk of death from heart-related causes than those with a “normal” BMI. Many of us cling to the belief that a thin body is a healthy body, but recent evidence suggests that’s not necessarily true. It’s complicated, says UR Medicine family medicine physician Holly Russell, MD, in her commentary, “ Is It Time to Say Goodbye to BMI?”

Healthy bmi for women calculator