BMI vs Waist to Height

[BendtheBar]

Waist to height ratio 'more accurate than BMI' - Telegraph

Researchers from Oxford Brookes University examined data on patients whose BMI and waist to height ratio were measured in the 1980s.

Twenty years later, death rates among the group were much more closely linked to participants' earlier waist-to-height ratio than their BMI, suggesting it is a more useful tool for identifying health risks at an early stage.

By comparing the life expectancies of various groups of people at different waist-to-height ratios, they were able to calculate how many years of life were lost as people's waistlines increased.

For example, a man aged 30 with a waist-to-height ratio of 0.8, representing the largest one in 500 men, stood to lose 16.7 years of life due to their size.
A 50-year-old woman with the same ratio, accounting for about one in 150 women of the same age, would lose 8.2 years of life on average.

[Bill]

FINALLY!!!!

so sick of bmi. such a bs metric.

[Hunterace]

Great! Get rid of the BMI!

[5kgLifter]

A bit like the waist to hip ratio which is also better if it falls between 0.8-0.9. So, the question is, will they start using waist to height ratio? Unlikely!

Certainly a much easier calculation and you don't have to end up having to be a skinny 20" waist at over 5'

[bruteforce]

It would have been helpful for them to have provided ranges in this article. I was just thinking how big my waist would have to get to fall in their example of uber fatty. About 61 inches. That would be pretty huge, about where I was before i started lifting.

I would also like to see them talk about the underweight people.

[5kgLifter]

Originally Posted by bruteforce

It would have been helpful for them to have provided ranges in this article. I was just thinking how big my waist would have to get to fall in their example of uber fatty. About 61 inches. That would be pretty huge, about where I was before i started lifting.

I would also like to see them talk about the underweight people.

The article did mention about 50% of height in relation to waist measurement, I'm guessing they meant that as the high end but can't say for sure.

[bruteforce]

Originally Posted by 5kgLifter

The article did mention about 50% of height in relation to waist measurement, I'm guessing they meant that as the high end but can't say for sure.

Ah, there it is, thanks for pointing that out. When I was reading back through it, I was looking for numbers. So I need a 38" waist. That could be interesting.

[Dray]

Okay, so I'm ~34 to ~74. Should be fine, they say. Good to hear!

And I can see how BMI woulldn't make any sense for very muscular people. If I understand correctly. Never even looked at BMI, to be honest.

[kitarpyar]

Good to know that I am safe.
But BMI puts me at slightly overweight

[Tannhauser]

I think I'm already living on borrowed time.

Waist 40"


Height 5'7"


(And chest 51", but does anyone ever ask about that? No.)