Obesity: A Disease Without Measure?

In light of The American Medical Association’s (AMA) recent announcement that obesity has now been classified as a disease, the way in which obesity is measured has come under fire.

Body Mass Index (BMI), the national standard for measuring obesity, is an antiquated and highly inaccurate system invented in 1835 that does not consider gender or age.

Internationally renowned body composition expert and celebrity trainer, Grant Roberts, says it is integral that the US health industry begin using modern technology to measure body fat percentages:

“How the AMA measures obesity is far more important than deciding to classify obesity as a disease. I am hopeful that positive change is imminent as the AMA’s final report acknowledges that obesity defined by BMI is an imprecise measure.”

“While body fat percentage is the true indicator of obesity, neither BMI nor scale weight define this critical component,” says Roberts who has used medical grade body composition analysis on his clients for years.

“Both the AMA and CDC acknowledge that BMI does not accurately measure obesity. There are multiple ways to measure body fat, multi-signal medical quality bioelectrical impedance makes defining body composition as easy as getting on a scale.”

A recent Plos One study states BMI misdiagnoses 48% of women and 25% of men. BMI and traditional scales only measure the sum total of an individual, while bioelectrical impedance can divide an individual into total fat, lean mass, water, bone density and even look at the body segmentally.

Roberts concludes: “Only as an educated society can we truly live a Unified Lifestyle. It’s the method I’ve practiced for years and it has never failed me. I can only hope other influencers will join me.”

  AMA, American Medical Association, BMI, Body Mass Index, Debate, Disease, Food, Grant Roberts, Obesity, USA