Flip the definition of fat and thin! UK launches new BMI calculation method

In the past, people usually used the body mass index (BMI) as the standard for testing personal health indicators. If the BMI value was above 27, it was considered mildly obese. However, Trevorson of the University of Oxford in the UK revised the body mass index calculation method, saying that since tall people have larger skeletons, the previous calculation method was not accurate. The new calculation method therefore rewrote the definition of fat and thin.

Mathematicians have come up with a new method for calculating BMI that takes the skeleton weight of tall people into account.

According to the British Daily Mail, the general method of calculating BMI is to divide the weight in kilograms by the square of the height in meters, and doctors usually use the BMI value to determine whether a person is overweight or obese, and whether there is a risk of diseases such as high blood pressure and heart disease. However, Nick Trefethen, a mathematician at the University of Oxford in the UK, has deduced a new calculation method, which is to multiply the weight by 1.3 and then divide it by the 2.5th power of the height in meters, rather than the square.

The new calculation method will lower the BMI a little for people who are 6 feet (183 cm) tall, and increase the BMI a little for people who are 5 feet (152 cm) tall; that is, tall people are by definition thinner, and short people are a little fatter. Cui Fusheng said that because tall people are born with natural weight of their skeleton, it should be taken into consideration when calculating mathematical formulas. He also suggested that relevant public health units re-evaluate the existing BMI calculation method, which will have an impact on the perception of obesity among many people around the world.

However, whether you are obese or not, body mass index is only one of the reference factors. The most important thing is the ratio of muscle to fat. Muscle itself weighs more than fat, so the weight data will be larger. But this does not mean that people who exercise more and have more muscles are overweight or obese.