bumble wrote:
The_Walrus wrote:
Being overweight is a risk factor for cardiac disease, even if you eat reasonably healthily, exercise, and avoid smoking or drinking excessive alcohol.
And yes, it applies to autistic people too.
The main "problem" with BMI is that it fails for people with very high muscle mass, such as rugby players. Despite that, it is unhealthy to be overweight, even if you are otherwise healthy.
Well I wouldn't be overweight if the weight would move. I lost 9lbs then got stuck despite going to the gym 4 times a week, working weights, swimming, doing cardio, walking etc.
I wasn't saying "people with high BMIs are lazy slobs!", merely that high BMI is a risk factor for heart disease, even though some people with high BMIs are perfectly healthy muscle machines. If all you knew about two people was that one had a normal BMI and another had a high BMI, the smart money is on the high BMI one to develop heart disease. Of course, the normal BMI person could be a slouch who eats a low calorie diet, and the high BMI guy could play rugby for New Zealand, in which case you'd need to rethink things, but BMI is still a risk factor and not "hare-brained" or "inaccurate".