Doctors use BMI ratios to show that over sixty percent of US citizens are overweight or even obese and that there really is an obesity crisis. However some scientists are begining to wonder if the BMI ratio is the only and best way to look at the health problem of obesity. It is true that a link can be proved between BMI and illness but what about waist size? It is possible that this may be a better marker of health risk and cardio disease. A recent research program showed lower deaths with BMI overweight adults and this has made people reconsider the BMI link.

More and more researchers are saying that waist size or at least waist to hip size ratios should be used with a BMI ratio to properly measure an obese person. While this is a better assesment of obesity it also means that more people fall into the obese bracket. For example someone who has a low BMI may fall into the danger zone due to his waist size.

BMI has been the accepted tool on obesity for years and old practises die hard so not all doctors are convinced about the new obesity measuring method. The new method takes note of the fat that obesity is caused by fat and fat readily accumaltes on the belly. Sometimes a short heavily built person may be categorised as obese when this is clearly not the case.