Why you should stop measuring your BMI to find out if you're healthy

Sign up to our free Living Well email for advice on living a happier, healthier and longer life Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter Live your life healthier and happier with our free weekly Living Well newsletter SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. David Valentine-Jones of Sculpt Health & Fitness gives the example of two female clients of the same age, weight and height: “One of them is very active with a low percentage of body fat and a high percentage of muscle mass, the other sedentary with a high percentage of body fat and a low percentage of muscle mass.” Both women can come out with the same BMI, despite having drastically different body compositions. The UCLA study gives the example of a man with a healthy BMI of 22 but too much fat round his middle according to his waist to hip ratio - he had an 87 per cent higher mortality risk than a man with the same BMI but a healthy waist to hip ratio. Most experts like to use a combination of measures when assessing health, including body fat percentage, waist to hip ratio, BAI, physical measurements, weight and tracked strength or cardiovascular improvements. “I find this is a good tool for those looking to work with clients in recovery to ensure they are a stable BMI but not so good when people urgently need help and their BMI is not low enough to get the care they need.” Overall though, Lambert, like most fitness and health experts, believes BMI is more often a problem than a reliable measure of health.