American Medical Association Recommends Against Using BMI Over Its History Of ‘Racist Exclusion’, Eugenics
Brandon Poulter on June 19, 2023
The American Medical Association (AMA) voted last week to recommend against using body mass index (BMI) as the sole measure for healthy body weight partly due to its alleged “racist” past.
The organization claimed that BMI had caused “historical harm” and has been used for “racist exclusion,” according to the AMA’s website. They also said that relative body shape is important to consider “across race and ethnic groups, sexes, genders,” and that BMI has a history of being used in relation to eugenics, arguing that medical professionals should consider not using BMI as the sole measurement of healthy weight.
BMI is a measure of body health that uses height and weight to calculate a number that determines if an individual is underweight, a healthy weight, overweight or obese, according to WebMD.
NEW – American Medical Association now says BMI is “racist” because the measurement was designed based on white bodies in the 19th century.https://t.co/RwiaycgcP9
— Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) June 19, 2023
“BMI does not appropriately represent racial and ethnic minorities,” the AMA wrote.
Hispanics and blacks had higher risks of diabetes than whites, and Asians are more likely to suffer from diabetes with smaller weight gains than other racial groups, according to the AMA’s Council on Science and Public Health.
The organization recommended that physicians take other factors into consideration, such as a person’s height-to-weight ratio, visceral fat measurements, their percentage of muscle, fat, and bone and other metabolic factors, according to the AMA’s website. The association’s website also argues that BMI “loses predictability when applied on the individual level.”
Another resolution approved last week by the AMA promised to increase support for cross-sex medical interventions for youths with gender identity issues. The resolution promises to work on increasing access to so-called “gender-affirming” care across the United States and to actively lobby for increasing accessibility to those procedures.
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