In a viral TikTok video, American athlete Ilona Maher, who recently took a stand against body shaming, revealed the limitations of body mass index (BMI) as a measure of health.
The US women’s rugby player has issued a powerful response to a social media commenter who made disparaging remarks about Maher’s body mass index. The controversy began when commenters speculated that Mach’s body mass index was “30 percent.” (It’s worth noting that BMI is not measured as a percentage.)
It has reignited the discussion about whether body mass index does more harm than good.
Maher said in her video, “My BMI is literally 30. 29.3, to be exact.” She also explained that about 170 pounds of her 200-pound weight is lean body mass.
The video has been viewed 4.3 million times and liked by more than 629,000 people. It resonates so deeply because of the pitfalls of using body mass index as an indicator of health.
What a nutritionist says about Ilona Maher’s BMI video
We asked a few nutritionists for their reaction to the video – and here’s what they had to say:
- Stephanie Nelson, Chief Nutritional Scientist and Registered Dietitian, MyFitnessPal: “Ilona is right! BMI doesn’t tell a story about a person’s worth or what they can do, let alone their physical health.
- Brooke White, registered dietitian: “Yes, you heard that right! BMI is calculated based on someone’s height and weight. Because it only uses these two measures, it doesn’t take into account muscle mass or body fat percentage, so it may not be a good indicator of obesity in athletes. index.
- Daisy Mercer, registered dietitian: “I love her so much. BMI isn’t the end all be all, it’s often a poor proxy for a person’s overall health. It’s more important to look at the big picture and realize that we are all different and have different activity levels , which cannot be explained by BMI!
When it comes to the usefulness of body mass index, nutritionists tend to know the facts. Maher said in the video that she discussed body mass index with her nutritionist, including details about what the number means and its uses.
But if you’re not completely convinced, let’s dig a little deeper into what BMI really means.
What is body mass index?
BMI is simply a mathematical formula that divides a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared. It was originally developed by a statistician in the 19th century to look at weight data at an aggregate (rather than individual) level.
Although the World Health Organization (WHO) has adopted this criterion to classify individuals into categories such as underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity, its usefulness remains widely debated.
Athletes like Maher often fall into the overweight or obese BMI category due to their impressive muscle mass. A key problem with BMI is that it cannot differentiate between muscle and fat.
“BMI is just a comparison of height and weight, nothing more,” Nelson said. “It doesn’t take into account how much muscle a person has, and it doesn’t itself tell anything about health, lifestyle or special values. The main use of BMI is that it can correct for height differences when estimating weight.
Therefore, it is helpful to look at large groups of people over time to see whether average weight increases or decreases, while correcting for height. However, this does not mean that it should be applied on an individual level
What should you focus on?
Don’t rely solely on body mass index, pay attention to other health and fitness indicators as well. For athletes, performance metrics specific to their sport and position are critical.
Nielsen said that for most people, the following factors are more important to fully understand their health:
- body fat percentage (Your doctor can measure this at your annual checkup!)
- waist to hip ratio (You can measure these monthly with a tape measure to measure changes)
- overall diet quality (You can better gauge your eating patterns by tracking your meals, such as with MyFitnessPal)
- living habit (You can focus on improving sleep, increasing physical activity, and reducing stress)
- physiological risk factors (such as blood sugar, cholesterol and blood pressure)
“When it comes to preventing nutrition-related diseases, many experts tend to be more concerned with the amount of fat tissue [or fat] Sitting around organs for long periods of time,” Nelson said. “This is visceral or abdominal fat that some people have around their belly.
“Other indicators to watch include body fat percentage and waist-to-hip ratio,” Nelson says. “But it’s also important to consider your eating habits. Are you getting enough protein, fiber, fruits, vegetables and whole grains?
This is another reason why tracking your meals is so helpful. When you use an app like MyFitnessPal, you’ll see how you’re stacking up in terms of protein and fiber and gain some helpful insights. (Download the app for free now!)
Maher ended her viral video by addressing her hecklers directly and reminding us all that she is an elite athlete who performs on the biggest stages.
This is a powerful reminder that your BMI says nothing about your abilities. When it comes to understanding your health, it can never be reduced to a number, whether it’s body mass index or the number on the scale.
“BMI is only a small piece of information, and we should be aware of its limitations,” Nielsen said.
