BMI SUCKS: We could save lives by getting rid of BMI. “Accidentally telling obese people who have healthy cardiovascular systems to lose weight can only do them good. But failing to realize that a person with a normal BMI is at risk for serious health problems is potentially dangerous. And that’s not to mention the fact that we financially penalize people who are ‘obese’ according to their BMI, even when their metabolic indicators are fine. Insurance companies are legally allowed to charge them extra. A committed weightlifter with gobs of muscle might have the same BMI as a guy who eats junk food for every meal and has been obese his whole life—and he could have a higher BMI than a naturally skinny man with terrible exercise habits and an ever-growing belly from too many beers. That’s not just unfair, it’s absurd.”

BMI was never meant to serve as a measure of individual fitness. But as I said before, “An easy-to-get number that’s bogus will nonetheless be widely used, because it’s an easy-to-get number.” More here.