BMI

A large study of more than 44,000 nurses shows that waist size is strongly associated with death rates independently of body mass index.

The Body Mass Index (BMI) is flawed. It provides no clue to body composition.

The BMI Project is a series of photos of people - along with their height, weight, and BMI.

Fascinating research (published in the Epidemiology Journal) shows that the link between high blood pressure and BMI is a lot more tenuous that first thought.

However, the association between BMI and BP decreased "substantially and consistently" between 1989 and 2004, irrespective of sex, (via)

Philips are releasing a cell phone targeted towards women.

What's intriguing about the phone is the feature set. The features include both a Body Mass Index calculator and a Basal Metabolic Rate feature.

Apparently women need to be able to calculate their BMI anywhere anytime.

Last year during Fashion Week, Spain banned models with a BMI under 18 from participating. This year, the Health Ministry in Spain is charging ahead with a new program that will prevent mannequins under a size 6 (a Spanish 38) from being displayed in store windows.

Womens' sizes are also being standardized. 85,000 women across Spain, ages 12 to 70, will be measured in a special laser booth that can take up to 130 measurements in 30 seconds.

This study will help get a better idea of the shapes of women in Spain.

In the era of ever-growing obesity rates, an insurance company is offering an interesting perk for its thinner members – a discount to those with a normal body mass index.

It seems that schools do a better job than parents when it comes to keeping kids trim. I always assumed that the summer months were the active months, and winter was when the weight gain occurred.

However new research shows that the BMI of young children "increased on average more than twice as much during summer break compared with the school year".

You can't judge a book by its cover - and neither can you judge a person's body fat by their weight.

A Normal-Weight Obese (NWO) person is someone whose BMI (Body Mass Index) is normal - but body fat makes up more than 30% of weight.

The Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) is in the process of issuing new guidelines for models - ahead of the NY Fashion shows starting soon. It appears that the CFDA will not go as far as the rules imposed in Madrid and in other countries. [...] the recommendations are likely to include scheduling fashion-show fittings with younger models during daylight hours, rather than late at night, to help them get more sleep; urging designers to identify models with eating disorders; and introducing more nutritious backstage catering [...] (from the NY Times).

Two studies have appeared in two separate Neurology journals linking diet and cognition. One study links increased body weight with declining mental function, and another claims that a Mediterranean style diet can prevent Alzheimer's disease.

Two new studies conclude that those who are overweight face an increased risk of dying prematurely than normal weight people. These studies fly in the face of earlier studies that suggested being slightly overweight had no risks.

A study reported in the American Journal of Nutrition concludes that: "waist circumference is a better indicator of cardiovascular disease risk than is BMI across three race-ethnicity groups."