May 5, 2021 at 5:00 a.m. PDT
… BMI [body mass index] was invented about 200 years ago in an era that saw the creation of pseudoscientific theories such as social Darwinism that were used to justify nationalism, racism and eugenics. The index was established by Belgian mathematician Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet, who sought to measure the height and weight of the “average” man based on a sample of White, European men. He saw this average as an ideal. …
But, as we now know, statistics are racist. Today, some experts argue, this measure is no longer relevant to the country’s population. America’s demographic fabric has dramatically shifted over the past century. People of color make up 40 percent of the U.S. population, and research has shown that Black and White people tend to have different body compositions. While the WHO released adjusted cut points for people of Asian descent, who have a higher risk of certain metabolic diseases at lower BMI, leading instituti
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When Achea Redd used to go for annual checkups, she tried to discuss her restrictive eating patterns with her doctors and her fear that she might have an eating disorder. But because her body mass index (BMI) was in the “overweight” category, Redd’s primary care physicians refused to consider the possibility that she might be depriving herself of food and instead counseled her to lose weight, she said.
It wasn’t until two years ago when Redd, a Black woman, was 38 that a therapist diagnosed her with “atypical anorexia,” a condition that doesn’t present with low body weight. Even then, her insurance wouldn’t cover treatment because of her BMI category. “Getting a doctor, a medical doctor, to sign off on me having an eating disorder was impossible,” she said. Redd began paying up to $800 out of pocket monthly to work with a therapist and dietitian.
BMI is flawed, especially for people of color - The Washington Post washingtonpost.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from washingtonpost.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Many with a body mass index over 30 are grateful for an early spot in the vaccine line, but they’re wary of insidious assumptions about large bodies and health.
The Racist History of the BMI - Racist Origins of Fighting Obesity goodhousekeeping.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from goodhousekeeping.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.