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摘要

BMI (body mass index, weight relative to height, expressed as kg/m2. This index is minimally correlated with height and, thus, mainly relates on weight.) is formally used to categorize obesity and underweight. BMI cut-offs (that is, > 30 kg/m2 for obesity and < 18.5 kg/m2 for underweight, respectively) are based on epide-miological data, that is, the statistical associations between decreasing and increasing BMI and excess mortality.1 Although BMI is very popular and has value in daily clinical practice, it is not a uniform measure. BMI is a continously distributed variable, thus, any cut-off is arbitrary. Although BMI is a calculated rather than a biological property, it is frequently and uncritically used as a reference for genes, metabolism, nutrition and mechanisms of disease.2