After 200 years doctors are moving beyond the BMI. The American Medical Association encourages doctors to cut their reliance on BMI when assessing a patient’s weight and health. The body mass index predates the bathroom scale, calculators, and computers. It was a simple system to measure body fat based on height and weight. However, in recent decades, many medical professionals have acknowledged the BMI’s flawed history.

BMI Provides Limited Information

BMI starts the conversation but doesn’t fully capture the health risks associated with excess weight in diverse populations or measure the overall health and risk of disease. One reason is that a person with lots of muscle and minimal body fat can have the same BMI as a person with obesity who has much less muscle. BMI also varies (because average body fat varies) among people of different ages and whether they are active or passive. That means it can be misleading in some cases.

BMI is often used to start the discussion for gathering other information. BMI only looks at height and weight, people with high muscle mass, like athletes, may have a BMI that suggests they are overweight. Since BMI doesn’t show the entire picture it’s important to know the different ways we can measure overall health. Some are more accurate than others and we can look at more than one factor.

How Can We Look at the Bigger Picture?

• Hip-to-waist ratio
• Glucose levels
• Cholesterol measurements
• Liver function
• Blood pressure 
• Measuring bone vs. muscle vs. body water (fluid) 
• Bone Density
• Android to Gynoid Ratio
• Visceral Adipose Tissue
• Body Fat Percentage
• Physical activity
• Fat-Free mass Index
• Skeletal Muscle Mass
• BMC
• T- score

BlueRock doctors are turning to the Dexa scan. A quick scan analyzes your fat tissue, lean mass, and bone density. It is often used to screen for osteoporosis. BlueRock strives to offer affordable scans in Provo, Utah, and give more access to this important information. 

Why Choose a Dexa Scan?

• An error rate of 1-2 percent
• It is a comprehensive look at your health 
• Work with experienced & caring staff
• Low Cost

Schedule a Dexa Scan at BlueRock Imaging today!