Half of the women who are fat do not have a high BMI – March 2012

BMI was found to categorize as healthy when actually have high amount of fat

25% of men
48% of women

Background on Body Mass Index at BMI – WikiPedia

BMI became a standard by 1850 – more 160 years ago
Has been known for a long time that BMI is easy to calculate but serves only as a vague means of estimating adiposity.
Additional indexes described in WikiPedia include:
Body volume index; Waist-hip ratio; Sagittal Abdominal Diameter (SAD); Body fat percentage
Body water; Allometric law; Ponderal index; Rohrer's index
BMI does not take into account many factors such as: frame size, muscularity, varying proportions of fat, bone, cartilage, water weight

New Study using DXA

Measuring Adiposity in Patients: The Utility of Body Mass Index (BMI), Percent Body Fat, and Leptin
Nirav R. Shah1 ¤, Eric R. Braverman 2, 3* April 2012
1 Department of Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York, United States of America,
2 PATH Foundation NY, New York, New York, United States of America, info@pathfoundationny.org
3 Department of Neurosurgery, Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, United States of America

Obesity is a serious disease that is associated with an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, and cancer, among other diseases. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates a 20% obesity rate in the 50 states, with 12 states having rates of over 30%. Currently, the body mass index (BMI) is most commonly used to determine adiposity. However, BMI presents as an inaccurate obesity classification method that underestimates the epidemic and contributes to failed treatment. In this study, we examine the effectiveness of precise biomarkers and duel-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to help diagnose and treat obesity.

Methodology/Principal Findings
A cross-sectional study of adults with BMI, DXA, fasting leptin and insulin results were measured from 1998–2009. Of the participants, 63% were females, 37% were males, 75% white, with a mean age = 51.4 (SD = 14.2). Mean BMI was 27.3 (SD = 5.9) and mean percent body fat was 31.3% (SD = 9.3).
BMI characterized 26% of the subjects as obese, while DXA indicated that 64% of them were obese. 39% of the subjects were classified as non-obese by BMI, but were found to be obese by DXA. BMI misclassified 25% men and 48% women. Meanwhile, a strong relationship was demonstrated between increased leptin and increased body fat.

Conclusions/Significance
Our results demonstrate the prevalence of false-negative BMIs, increased misclassifications in women of advancing age, and the reliability of gender-specific revised BMI cutoffs. BMI underestimates obesity prevalence, especially in women with high leptin levels (>30 ng/mL). Clinicians can use leptin-revised levels to enhance the accuracy of BMI estimates of percentage body fat when DXA is unavailable.

Shaded area: BMI high = Obese

Women who were actually fat (40% to 50% fat), but had low BMI are the red dots in the pink region

Men who were actually fat, but had a low BMI are the blue dots in the light blue region

PDF is attached at the bottom of this page

Books by Braverman - from his website

Braverman ER. What’s Your Spiritual Health?: Diagnosing This Critical Component of Your Total Health. Publications for Achieving Total Health; 1994.
Braverman ER. How to Lower Your Blood Pressure and Reverse Heart Disease Naturally. Publications for Achieving Total Health, 1995.Braverman ER, Taub M. Hypertension and Nutrition. New York, NY: McGraw Hill; 1996
Braverman ER. The Healing Nutrients Within: Facts, Findings and New Research on Amino Acids. New Canaan, CT: Keats Publishing; 1997.
Braverman ER. PATH Wellness Manual, Publications for Achieving Total Health. 2nd ed.; 1998
Braverman ER. Male Sexual Fitness. Causes and Solutions for Andropause. Lincolnwood, IL: Keats Publishing; 1999.
Braverman ER. The Healing Nutrients Within: Facts, Findings and New Research on Amino Acids. 3rd Edition. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications, Inc.; 2003
Braverman ER. The Edge Effect: Achieve Total Health and Longevity with the Balanced Brain Advantage. New York, NY: Sterling Publishing; 2004
Braverman ER, Braverman D. The Amazing Way to Reverse Heart Disease Naturally. North Bergen, NJ: Basic Health Publications, Inc.; 2004.
Braverman ER. Younger You: Unlock the Hidden Power of Your brain to Look and Feel 15 Years Younger. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill; 2007.
Braverman ER. Younger (Thinner) You Diet: How understanding Your Brain Chemistry Can Help You Lose Weight, Reverse Aging, and Fight Disease. New York, NY: Rodale Inc.; 2009.
Braverman ER. Younger (Sexier) You: Look and Feel 15 Years Younger by Having the Best Sex of Your Life. New York, NY: Rodale Inc.; 2011.
Braverman ER. Younger Brain, Sharper Mind: A 6-Step Plan for Preserving and Improving Memory and Attention at Any Age from America’s Brain Doctor, Rodale Publishing; 2011.