Do we give weight too much weight?
Take your height in metres, square it, then divide it by your weight in kilograms. That's how you calculate your body mass index, or BMI. If it's between 18 and 25, your weight is healthy. If it's over, it isn't. So far, so simple.
BMI has become a popular metric for people to check their health. On a population level, data backs this up. People with a high BMI are statistically more likely to develop conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis, and some types of cancer along with other health problems. Checking BMI could be a way for people to easily assess their health and decide if they need to make any lifestyle changes.
However, BMI does not give the full picture. It's known that it's less accurate for some groups of people, such as children, the elderly or athletes. The measure was devised in the 19th Century by a Belgian mathematician, and this may be why the figures are more accurate for Europeans than other ethnicities.
There are also several important factors that it doesn't measure. Someone who is very active may have significant weight from muscle. BMI doesn't differentiate between this or the visceral fat that is linked with negative health outcomes.
It doesn't account for the range of nutrients or the level of cholesterol in someone's diet. What this means is that people can have a high BMI and be relatively healthy, while others may have a low BMI but be unhealthy.
The simplicity of BMI is attractive, it's also very visible and fits with society's perception of the importance of weight. However, dependence on it as an indication of health can cause stigma. People can feel judged because of their weight. This sometimes leads people to avoid going to the doctors if they know they're likely to be questioned on it.
While BMI may be a useful measure, experts remind us that it should always be considered alongside other measures, such as blood pressure, blood sugar level, cholesterol level and others.
词汇表
square [skweə(r)] v. 使成平方，使成正方形
body mass index [mæs ˈɪndeks] n. 身体质量指数，体重指数，体质指数（BMI）
metric [ˈmetrɪk] n. 指标，衡量标准
back something up 证明，证实，支持
statistically [stəˈtɪstɪkli] adv. 从统计上看，统计地
hypertension [ˌhaɪpəˈtenʃn] n. 高血压
diabetes [ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz] n. 糖尿病
arthritis [ɑːˈθraɪtɪs] n. 关节炎
give the full picture 全面反映情况，展现全貌
devise [dɪˈvaɪz] vt. 设计，发明，想出
Belgian [ˈbeldʒən] adj. 比利时的；n. 比利时人
mathematician [ˌmæθəməˈtɪʃn] n. 数学家
ethnicity [eθˈnɪsəti] n. 种族，民族，种族群体
differentiate [ˌdɪfəˈrenʃieɪt] vt. 区分，辨别
visceral fat [ˈvɪsərəl] 内脏脂肪
account for 考虑，解释，说明
nutrient [ˈnjuːtriənt] n. 营养物，营养素
cholesterol [kəˈlestərɒl] n. 胆固醇
visible [ˈvɪzəbl] adj. 显而易见的，明显的
indication [ˌɪndɪˈkeɪʃn] n. 指标，标志物，迹象
stigma [ˈstɪɡmə] n. 污名，偏见，歧视
blood pressure 血压
blood sugar level 血糖水平
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