
09/05/2025
Did you know BMI may not be as useful as body composition in assessing eating disorder patients? Recent research moves towards BMI not being as accurate in predicting health outcomes and weight status. This is attributed to by BMI not accounting for body composition (including muscle mass and fat mass), rather BMI is simply a calculation of a person’s height compared to their weight. BMI is also not a tool that accounts for age, s*x, or ethnicity. BMI can be known to exacerbate weight stigmas, body image issues, and eating disorders. Due to the inaccuracy of BMI, individuals could possibly be overlooked for eating disorder treatment and assessment if BMI is the only measure being reviewed. Recent studies found BF% and waist circumference were more accurate for predicting health outcomes and weight status than BMI. Read more at https://edr.iaedpfoundation.com/rethinking-body-composition-is-body-fat-percentage-more-useful-than-bmi/. If you experience disordered eating or have an eating disorder, consider consulting a registered dietitian who specializes in eating disorders at nutrifitga.com. Consider joining us this Saturday at 10 am, in person or on zoom, for our free ANAD support group. Visit nutrifitga.com for more details.
Despite known limitations, body mass index (BMI) is often used as a marker of severity in ED care. A growing body of evidence suggests BMI