A study in the Journal of American Medical Association reveals that according to the Body Mass Index (BMI) almost every single football player in the National Football League is overweight and nearly half of those players are even considered obese.
Why is this? This is because the BMI considers very few factors; only height and weight are used to determine a person’s overall body fat range.
In athletes, this ratio of height to weight is typically far removed from the average person due to their muscle build.
In fact, researchers at the journal PLoS ONE report that the current BMI scale is only accurate 75% of the time.
A report by ABC news, the Body Mass Index (BMI) may be replaced by a new index called the Body Adiposity Index (BAI).
The BAI is deemed a more accurate measurement as it takes into consideration height, weight and an additional hip-width measurement before determining a person’s fat ratio.
With the new BAI measurement, a health professional measures a person’s height in meters and with their feet placed together, measures the widest part of their hips in centimeters. The measurements are then used in a complex formula.
While there are no universally accepted guidelines for ideal body fat percentage, health professionals and insurance companies alike have continued to use the BMI, as a general guideline to signify whether a person is normal weight, overweight or obese.
While many feel that the BAI will be a more accurate measurement, some still feel that even this index is too limited. These researchers at the journal of PLoS One for example, feel that a scale needs to be developed that takes leptin levels and age into consideration.
What do you think? Does the BAI seem like an acceptable improvement over the BMI or should health professionals push for an even more thorough measurement scale?
To learn more about the BAI or to find out what your own BAI measurement is, check out the on line BAI calculator here.
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