ive seen a lot of misinformation going around edtwt about the bmi scale and why it’s inaccurate, who it’s inaccurate for, etc. so here’s an accurate thread about bmi. i have done extensive research and have learned a lot of things about bmi in ed treatment.

let’s start. first and foremost, the bmi scale is racist and does not take into account the bodily structure of many poc! the bmi calculator is geared toward white people and it is MOST accurate for white people (however, you can be still white and bmi can still be completely-

inaccurate for you. we’ll get into WHY later on in the thread)

black people generally have a higher muscle mass and bone density, meaning most can be above a bmi of 25 and still look like a normal weight and be perfectly healthy at a higher bmi.

on the other hand, asian people typically have a lower muscle mass and lower bone density, meaning that some can technically be healthy at a lower bmi.

here is something that not a lot of people know. the original bmi calculator actually indicates that anything under a bmi of 20 is considered slightly underweight. a common misconception is that bmi 18.5-19.9 is still healthy, but unless you are asian or a child, that is false.

i learned in treatment that that the 18.5-19.9 part of the bmi calculator is specifically designated for asian people due to their lower bone density. if you are a non-asian adult, you are technically considered underweight if your bmi is under 20, according to the bmi scale.

somebody tweeted this yesterday, and while their intentions probably weren’t bad, this is FALSE and dangerous information. NOBODY, regardless of their race, is healthy at a bmi under 18.5

once again, asians CAN still be healthy at a bmi of 18.5-19.9, but not under that.

a bmi of 16 is significantly underweight for anyone unless you are a literal small child. i also learned this in treatment!! unless you have an ED, disordered eating, or some health issue that is causing your bmi to be that low, it is NOT possible to be a bmi of 16 naturally.

so to anyone who felt invalidated by that tweet, know that it’s not true. i learned the science behind all of this in treatment. if your bmi is 16, you are underweight regardless of your race. if you are non-asian and your bmi is under 20, you are underweight. that’s a fact.

in my treatment center, they weight restore every non-asian individual to a minimum bmi of 20. if an asian individual’s growth chart has shown that their pre-ed weight was healthy at a bmi under 20, then they could be restored to a bmi of 18.5-19.9, depending on the person.

i also want to add that when you see people who are visibly underweight that claim to be “naturally very underweight” and just have a “fast metabolism,” they’re wrong. they either have an underlying health condition (ex: hyperthyroidism) OR are overestimating how much they eat.

overall, bmi is super flawed and does not really take race into account whatsoever. some other reasons why bmi can be inaccurate for anyone (of any race) is that it doesn’t take into account bone structure, muscle mass, sex, age, dimension, frame size, etc.

please stop spreading misinformation about bmi. it is an overall super flawed system, and unless you have done research and know the ACTUAL science behind it, you shouldn’t be spreading false info on an app full of disordered people.