Body Composition Analysis

The body mass index (BMI) was developed in the mid nineteenth century (~1850s) by the Belgian Adolphe Quetelet in an effort to identify a simple screening parameter for reporting one’s weight as a function of his/her height. In the twentieth century, as many societies experienced historically unprecedented affluence, and as excessive weight gain and obesity came to be associated with many diseases, the use of BMI gained in popularity as a health risk factor for the general population.

In particular, the BMI is used as an indicator of body fat content and, based on established threshold values, it provides a quantifiable index of one’s health status and risk factors with respect to body weight. Although, the BMI provides a simple and useful screening tool, we will see below that it also suffers from several limitations. Therefore, any attempt to strictly interpret one’s BMI should be coordinated with a primary care provider.