That chart that proves that measuring weight by BMI is a load of BS.

July 26, 2015

Image via iStock.

There are many ways you can assess your health, but one of the most common has become the Body Mass Index (BMI) scale.

A tool primarily used to identify people who have adverse health risks such as heart disease, it’s used by doctors, nutritionists and fitness experts alike – but has continually come under fire for its flaws.

And now one simple chart has highlighted its issues even further.

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Created by Body Lab, each of these figures are the same height (175cm), weight (78) and BMI (25.5) - but you'd never have guessed.

The chart demonstrates how people with the same BMI (and 25.5 is in the healthy range) can have totally different body shapes - and thus different health risks.

So why is this?

"BMI is just a simple maths equation - (weight in kg/(height in metres squared))", explains clinical nutritionist Gabrielle Maston.

"Your number falls into different categories that determine your health risk. The categories are:

Healthy 18-24.9
Over weight (low risk) 25-29.9
Obese (moderate risk) 30-34.9
Obese class 2 (high risk) 35- 39.9
Obese class 3 (extreme obesity) 40+ (Post continues after gallery.)

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BreadKATIE THOMSITT, Dieticians Australia spokesperson says: "Lots of people shy away from bread to achieve weight loss. But bread is such an important source of fibre, and plays such a helpful role in weight loss and preventing bowel cancer. A couple of slices of a dark, seedy bread per day is absolutely fine."

CheeseKATIE SAYS: "Cheese is definitely a higher fat source of dairy, but still a good dairy fat. Choose low-fat options if you have it regularly, otherwise consume it in moderation. One serve of dairy is 30g, so a couple of slices is absolutely fine."

ChocolateKARA LANDAU, The Travelling Dietician says: "Studies have been able to show that dark chocolate can improve insulin sensitivity, reduce blood pressure in healthy individuals, protect against heart disease, and improve HDL good cholesterol (not a bad start for such a tasty food!). Dark chocolate also contains polyphenols, whilst white chocolate does not. These polyphenolic compounds are able to relax blood vessels allowing for better blood circulation, and thereby assisting with the maintenance of healthy blood pressure levels."

CoffeeKATIE SAYS: "Coffee is a really good snack, in particular if its milk-based to get the dairy in - for example, a skim latte. As long as its in moderation - daily guidelines say a maximum of three per day! And you want lots of water on top of that."

EggsKARA SAYS: "Yes, even the yolks are good for you! Healthy fat soluble vitamins, as well as half the protein found in an egg, are all found in the yolk!"

Avocado KATIE SAYS: "Avocado is a healthy fat. Lots of people think its high-fat and not good for you, but its rich in mono unsaturated fats, which give you protection against heart disease. It also helps with controlling lower cholesterol levels."

nutsKATIE SAYS: "Nuts fall into the same category as avocado - they have lots of healthy oils and fibre."

dairyKARA SAYS: "Often milk and yoghurts are fortified with Vitamin D (a fat soluble vitamin) which requires a small amount of fat to be present in order for the body to absorb it, therefore having the full fat variety can be of value to enhance the nutritional benefits from the products' consumption. The fat in the dairy also aids with satiety, which could prevent unhealthy snacking at a later point in the day."

PotatoKATIE SAYS: "Potato always gets a bad rap as a starchy vegetable, but it's an excellent source of fibre. Sweet potato in particular is great for weight management and sugar level control. Potatoes are also really rich in potassium."

Red meatKARA SAYS: People tend to restrict red meat unnecessarily, thinking that its high in saturated fat. "But lean red meat is high in protein, CLA (which has been found to be associated with lower body fat percentages), B12, iron and zinc. These are all nutrients we want to get into our body!"

And as the chart demonstrates, it's flawed when it comes to different body shapes, which Maston argues means it should not be used in isolation to determine someone's health status.

"There are major issues with people from different cultural heritages, for example Indian-Asian heritage tend to be smaller builds so the BMI will fall into the healthy range, but they carry an uneven distribution of fat around the waist, which is a good indicator of diabetes risk," she says.

"People who are small but carry a significant amount of body fat and no muscle (otherwise known as 'skinny fat') are also a group for whom BMI is inaccurate," she explains.

Maston believes some of these problems are due to the studies the equation was derived from.

"They used university student-based populations as a test group, which means BMI is not completely accurate across cultural population groups," she explains. (Post continues after gallery.)

Rebel WilsonThe actress said on Twitter; "I'm not trying to be hot. I'm just trying to be a good actress and entertain people."

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Adele"The first thing to do is be happy with yourself and appreciate your body - only then should you try to change things about yourself."

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Lady GagaAfter the media focused on her alleged weight gain in September 2012, Gaga hit back at critics by baring her body in photographs, sharing her struggles with an eating disorder, and inviting her fans to join her in a "body revolution"/ Image via @ladygaga

Ashley JuddAfter the March 2012 frenzy around Judd's "puffy face" the actress fought back in 'The Daily Beast', calling the media out for making women's bodies "a source of speculation, ridicule, and invalidation, as if they belong to others". Image via @ashley_judd

Christina Aguilera"I am always in support of someone who is willing and comfortable in their own skin enough to embrace it," the singer said in a recent interview. Image via @xtina

Lena DunhamAt the 2012 New Yorker Festival, the magazine's TV critic, Emily Nussbaum, asked Lena Dunham, producer, creator and star of the hit HBO show 'Girls' why Dunham is naked in so many scenes.

Dunham responded; "I realised that what was missing in movies for me was the presence of bodies I understood." She said she plans to live until she is 105 and show her thighs every day. Image via @lenadunham

Alexa ChungChung responded to critics who suggested that her slight frame made her a bad role model for young women, saying:

"Just because I exist in this shape doesn't mean that I'm, like, advocating it." Image via Twitter @alexa_chung

Stella BoonshoftThe NYU student started the amazing Body Love Blog, where she posted this picture of herself and wrote an open letter to those who feel entitled to shame others for the size or look of their bodies. Image via http://thebodyloveblog.tumblr.com"> Body Love Blog

Beth DittoThis five-foot-tall, 200-pound singer spoke openly about her weight to 'The Advocate' saying, "I feel sorry ... for people who've had skinny privilege and then have it taken away from them. I have had a lifetime to adjust to seeing how people treat women who aren't their idea of beautiful and therefore aren't their idea of useful, and I had to find ways to become useful to myself." Image via @marybethditto

It can also cause problems for people who are athletic and do a lot of weight-based exercise.

"If someone carries a lot of muscle mass and is quite athletic, again BMI is inaccurate," she says.

"It sometimes puts body builders or female weight lifters in the overweight category, because they weigh more, but this is not a true reflection of health status."

"As we know, muscle weighs more than fat, so this needs to be taken into consideration. Muscle is healthy weight," she says.

However Maston believes we shouldn't scrap it completely.

"I think it's a good tool to use in a clinical setting with clients who do not participate in regular activity and already have signs of chronic illness," she says.

Maston argues BMI can be useful for people who don't exercise regularly. Image via iStock.

"It is not useful for children, teens and anyone that participates in weight-bearing sports like football or weight lifting."

"I do not use it in isolation. Combining BMI, waist circumference and a full blood test is a good comprehensive view of someone's general health," she says.

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Jessica Alba.

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Lena Dunham.

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Gigi Hadid.

Anna Kendrick.

Beyonce.

Julianne Hough.

Paris Hilton

Karlie Kloss.

Lea Michele.

Kendall Jenner.

Bar Rafaeli.

Gisele Bundchen.

Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.

Margot Robbie.

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Do you think we should stop using the BMI scale?

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