Delve into the complexities of Body Mass Index (BMI), exploring its historical origins (all the way back to the 1830s!), practical applications, and significant limitations. Our discussion highlights how BMI, while a widely used metric for assessing body fatness, fails to account for individual differences in body composition, particularly among women and diverse populations. We emphasize the importance of understanding BMI's limitations and encourages listeners to advocate for more personalized health assessments.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction to the Podcast and Setup Challenges
01:08 Episode preview
02:12 What is BMI, exactly?
03:32 The Historical Context of BMI: Adolphe Quetelet
8:35 The Historical Context of BMI: Ancel Keys
12:10 Limitations of BMI
14:14 Where will you encounter BMI?
17:58 What do we do about it?

Further reading:
2016 article from The Atlantic about Adolphe Quetelet
More on Ancel Keys (coined the term in 1972)
The History and Faults of the Body Mass Index (2023 article)
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