Overview
- Registered dietitian Evan Lynch cautions against using BMI as the sole gauge of health, calling it a quick reference only.
- He urges blood pressure checks and standard blood tests at least once a year to build a clearer clinical picture.
- He recommends periodically tracking weight and BMI, with public tools such as the NHS calculator available for self-checks.
- He notes BMI's blind spots, including inability to distinguish muscle from fat, sensitivity to fluid or glycogen, and failure to assess visceral fat.
- For practical nuance, he points to BIA scales and waist circumference as accessible options, with DEXA or BodPod more precise but less accessible, while BMI remains embedded in clinical workflows and higher or very low BMI correlates with health risk.