Healthymagination » BMI

The Skinny on Body Fat: Body Volume Index

Samuel Greengard — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:00:16 +0000

Calculating obesity is a daunting task. Belgian statistician Adolphe Quetelet invented the measure that’s widely used, Body Mass Index (BMI), over 180 years ago. Public health organizations promote BMI as a way to gauge body health. Unfortunately, it does not take into account age, weight distribution or the fact that muscle weighs more than fat.

“Healthy, muscular men and women can be incorrectly classified as being overweight using BMI,” observes Sophie Harris, project coordinator for Select Research, a UK-based organization that is working to redefine and update the concept of body mass. “There is no distinction between men and women with different body shapes and heights but with the same BMI.”

As a result, Select Research has introduced the Body Volume Index (BVI), which attempts to provide a more complete analysis. BVI distinguishes where weight is distributed across a body, including the chest, abdomen, pelvis and thighs. In addition, the BVI system compares people to the average BVI mean for people in the same age and gender.

Obtaining a BVI reading is simple and straightforward. A healthcare professional gauges a person’s body volume using a non-invasive 3-D body scanner that works like a photocopier. An individual steps into a booth that uses 32 cameras and 16 sensors to feed data into a computer. Software interpolates the scan and provides a BVI reading based on 300 measured points on the body. The device uses no radiation.

So far, Select-Research has conducted about 2,000 trial scans. As the cost of the system drops, the BVI scanner will likely be used on larger segments of the population. Organizations such as The Centers for Disease Control (CDC), The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK have taken note, Harris says. A consortium of scientists, academics and public sector funding bodies are currently discussing the possible implementation of BVI as an alternative to BMI.

A more accurate measurement tool could assist in the battle against heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and metabolic diseases. Says Managing Director of Select Research, Richard Barnes: “We hope that BVI will play a huge role in the future of health monitoring and weight management.”

CONNECT THE DOTS

For a detailed look at a Select-Research body benchmark study conducted from 2007 to 2010, click to the Body Volume Index Website. To view a video of how a BVI scan works, visit the NHS Website. For more information about BMI, visit the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. It offers a calculator, tables and information. For more information, check out this blog about fitness for real life.

Deconstructing the Jargon: BMI

Britta Barrett — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 19:26:30 +0000

You’ve heard of BMI. You may know that it stands for body mass index. But what does that even mean? And why does it matter to you?

BMI is a statistical measure comparing one’s weight and height. It looks at the relationship between those two numbers to estimate a healthy body weight. You can calculate your (or your child’s) BMI here.

A healthy BMI is typically in the range of 18.5-24.9. That’s accurate for most people, but not all. As the Mayo Clinic points out, BMI doesn’t consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass, meaning it may:

- Underestimate body fat for older adults or those with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit

That said, even if your BMI does accurately reflect your health, it can be hard to put a single number into a larger context. One of our recent data visualizations helps illustrate how BMI can correlate to certain health risks.

When you have a comprehensible picture of how common conditions relate to one another, you’re better able to understand your own health.

Michelle Obama and Getting Healthier

Britta Barrett — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 00:15:33 +0000

When you’re trying to get healthier, a little bit can go a long way.

First Lady Michelle Obama recently launched a national campaign intended to curb childhood obesity. You’ve no doubt heard the stats — one in three children in America are overweight or obese. The numbers on adults are even more staggering. But the first lady painted a much more personal picture of the issue, relating it to her two daughters.

The family’s pediatrician called her attention to shifts in the girls’ body mass index (or BMI) that surprised Mrs. Obama. Rather than put her girls on strict diets, over the next several months, she made some simple changes that anyone could incorporate into their regular routine:

· Add more fruit and vegetables to meals
· Watch less TV during the week
· Pay more attention to portion sizes
· Drink more water

The small changes she implemented had an astounding effect. The healthymagination team relied on that concept when creating Morsel, a mobile application that delivers daily “tasks” help you get a bit healthier day by day.

Think of it this way: you shouldn’t bite off more than you can chew. It can be easy to get discouraged if you set lofty goals and make unrealistic commitments. Losing 50 pounds is daunting. But if it is broken up into a few pounds at a time, it suddenly sounds realistic. And achievable.