AMA recommends rethinking use of BMI for measuring health and obesity.
The American Medical Association has criticized the use of body mass index (BMI) in assessing health and obesity, acknowledging that it has been used for "racist exclusion" and has caused "historical harm." The AMA urges doctors to de-emphasize its use and adopt other measures such as body composition, waist circumference, and genetic factors. The AMA also amended its policy on the treatment of obesity, recommending educating doctors to look at other measures such as adiposity, body composition, and waist circumference in all patients and acknowledging that risks differ both between and within demographic groups.