Research

Micronutrients & recovery

BMI categories are arbitrary classifications that do not accurately reflect health risks or body fat levels, and using them as a proxy for disease leads to misdiagnosis and stigma.

Do not rely on BMI alone to determine your health. It is an arbitrary cutoff that fails to account for muscle mass or individual health markers. Focus on how you feel, your fitness, and metabolic health markers rather than a number on a scale.

LimitedRefutesMEDIUM confidence
There is no clearly accepted level of body fat, however, that would represent a diagnosis of obesity... no justification has been provided for that number [BMI 30].
Katherine M. Flegal · The AMA Journal of Ethic · 2023

Why this rating

Based on historical analysis and expert consensus statements cited.

Source

Use and Misuse of BMI Categories

Katherine M. Flegal · The AMA Journal of Ethic · 2023

narrative_reviewCited 46×
Read the paper

This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →