Final_Philosopher663 t1_j2my3tq wrote on January 2, 2023 at 3:05 PM

Reply to comment by camynnad in Genomics and phenomics of body mass index reveals a complex disease network (Dec 2022) by basmwklz

BMI is a tool and we need to know when and how to use it. Your statement its like saying a scale is bad because it doesn't accurately depict body fat % /bone density/height etc. A tool is a tool , know how and when to use it.

Triumphant_Rider t1_j2n8g2i wrote on January 2, 2023 at 4:20 PM

Agreed. As a dietitian, I have patients with an elevated BMI all of the time, and I commonly tell them not to use the number as a basis of their health, but a piece of the puzzle. BMI does not mean any ONE thing, but it definitely helps guide us for an overall picture of the patient and changes in BMI over time can help us decide if our interventions are working to a degree.

It’s also why we stress “non-scale” victories. These are improvements in health independent of any changes in the scale or BMI. Maybe their labs are improving, or they’re sleeping better, eating a whole balanced diet, pants fitting better etc. BMI guides, but is not the prime target of intervention