In some cases the BMI method of assessing obesity does not work...

A new bit of technology which could be very useful in hospitals and in doctors’ clinics is a special machine which can accurately tell you the exact amount of fat that you have on your body.  The machine that is presently being tested in a hospital in the United Kingdom is designed to measure BVI which is the Body Volume Index.

If this technology takes off and is seen to be useful it is likely that your BVI measurement will be the standard way of assessing whether you are overweight or obese as opposed to the old method of the Body Mass Index [BMI]. The Body Volume Index is likely to be far more accurate in assessing whether a person really does have a weight problem or not.

In some cases the BMI method of assessing obesity does not work especially with men who are well built and stocky or with people who have body shapes that helped the to “hide” body fat. Also people who have a lot of fat around their stomach sometimes get a healthier BMI reading than they should and some doctors insist that as well as using a BMI reading you should also take a tape measure and put it around your stomach.  This new technology will be able to tell people exactly how fat they are and also will be able to tell them exactly where their fat is located.

The research on this new machine is being done in the Heartland Hospital in Birmingham and the testing of it should take place over the next couple of years.  The machine was made by TUV Product Service and could make them a small fortune is it is considered that this machine should be used in all UK hospitals. If the BVI becomes an accepted part of the medical establishment then these machine could be sold all around the world.