Forget BMI, there is a more accurate way to measure health indicators

A new measurement has been discovered by scientists, and it solves the disadvantages of old BMI measurements.

When you go to the clinic, when you step down from the scale, the doctors will probably point you to a colorful chart of your body mass index, or simply called BMI.

This method measures body fat based on your weight in relation to height.

BMI has been found since the 1830s. But despite its popularity, BMI is now considered a relatively crude measure. Thankfully, researchers have found an alternative. This new measurement addresses BMI's biggest problem.

Recently, a group of researchers at Mayo Clinic, Minnesota (USA) announced a new measurement method called Body Volume Indicator (BVI) . This is a new tool to help calculate the growth of each person.

Basically, the measurement used here is to establish an overall comparison of body mass to your belly fat mass.This measurement can be done manually or by phone application.

Health Measurement by Body Volume Indicator (BVI).

Mr. Jose Medina Inojosa - a preventive cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic, told Business Insider: Although it may sound weird, our waistline can say a lot about health. It is considered to be one of the most important parts reflecting every person's lifestyle.

Several studies have documented an association between abdominal fat intake and the risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

In a large-scale study in 2012, researchers looked at data on more than 340,000 Europeans and found that people were overweight and had a wide waistline of 34.5 inches (87, 63cm or more for women and 40 inches (101.6cm) or more for men is also at risk for type 2 diabetes like those with clinical obesity.

One of the biggest drawbacks of BMI is the fact that it does not take into account the amount of fat left on each person's abdomen. All of its measurements revolve around height and weight. That's why lean but muscular people may have a BMI that is considered "overweight". Therefore, BVI is an important step to solve these problems, contributing to making the measurements more accurate, Medina Inojosa said.

However, until now, scientists are still not sure why the excess fat in the middle of each person leads to negative health outcomes. Researchers think this is related to body fat, called visceral fat. It has the ability to interfere with the normal functioning of our internal organs.

Community health experts for many years have said that BMI is not a perfect tool to measure the body's balance. And they want a more accurate measurement, preferably it should be improved with the extra circumference of the waist.

BMI was no longer accurate.(Photo: Shutterstock).

"For health, the problem is not how much weight you have but how much belly fat you have," students from Harvard Medical School wrote in Healthy Living blog (Staying Healthy) in 2005.

BVI index researchers have also collaborated with the human image technology company - Select Research, to create a corresponding application that compares the image of a person taken from angle to image. straight shot. All these images are for the estimation of BVI rates.

Medina Inojosa said: "By measuring body weight and fat, BVI provides a new potential diagnostic tool".

BMI (Body Mass Index) is the body index used by doctors and health professionals to determine whether the body condition of someone who is obese, overweight or too skinny.

Usually, people use to calculate obesity levels. The only downside to BMI is that it cannot calculate body fat - a potential risk factor for future health risks.