This Is More Important than BMI

Plus, live "Q&A with a Cardiologist"--save the date!

Author

Yasmine S. Ali, MD
May 22, 2024

Hello again!

May is National Physical Fitness and Sports Month as well as National Stroke Awareness Month! Since stroke is a form of cardiovascular disease (did you know that?), and since physical fitness plays such an important role in preventing heart disease and stroke, I’ll be featuring articles on both of those topics in Speak for the Heart this month.

In this issue, we’re going beyond body mass index (BMI) to look at something that preventive cardiologists have found to be much more important in determining healthy weight and overall metabolic health: muscle mass.

As Dr. Clyde Yancy, past president of the American Heart Association and Professor of Cardiology at Northwestern University, put it recently at the American College of Physicians (ACP) meeting:

“Muscle mass is more important than BMI. Muscle is a metabolic machine.”

Read on for more about the importance of lean muscle mass in the articles below!

Also, Premium subscribers: save the date for the first LIVE “Q&A with a Cardiologist” session, at 12:30 p.m. CDT on Friday, June 14, when I’ll spend 30 minutes answering your questions live over Zoom. Anyone who is a Premium subscriber will receive the Zoom link and instructions by email the day before. (A recording will be available for Premium subscribers afterward if you’re unable to drop in during the live event.)

Not a Premium subscriber? You can upgrade now and get bonus content in every issue, along with special discounts and exclusive features! Upgrade now and get your first free health guide: “Your Guide to Healthy Summer Travel”! Discounted, annual subscriptions now available!

Finally, there won’t be an issue of this newsletter next week, but we will resume the first week of June. Best wishes for a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

To your health,

Yasmine S. Ali, MD

Weekly Heart-Health News: The Highlights

7 signs you don't have overweight or obesity, regardless of BMI

Many argue that BMI is an inadequate metric as it ignores important factors such as genetics, lifestyle, age, sex, and muscle mass.

www.businessinsider.com/bmi-accuracy-signs-youre-not-overweight-2018-11?op=1#your-muscle-mass-makes-up-most-of-your-weight-4

My Take:

As I’ve mentioned in this newsletter before, waist circumference is a better predictor of obesity and risk for cardiovascular disease than is BMI. And there are many more biological factors at play than the simple weight:height formula of the BMI.

This article gives a great rundown of many of the other factors to be considered when determining what is a “healthy weight,” after all.

Does Muscle Weigh More Than Fat? The Truth About Body Composition

Does muscle really weigh more than fat? Here’s the truth behind this myth, plus tips for building muscle and losing weight.

www.healthline.com/health/does-muscle-weigh-more-than-fat#increasing-muscle

My Take:

You’re probably heard, as I have, that “muscle weighs more than fat.” But is that really true? This article gives a great explanation of the difference. It also has some very good tips for building more lean muscle mass.

Additionally, it makes this important point: “ … even people with a low body weight but a poor muscle-to-fat ratio are at higher risk of obesity-related conditions.” This means that a person’s BMI can be normal, but if their body composition is high in fat as compared to muscle, they are still at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and future obesity.

This further illustrates the importance of going beyond BMI when considering what is a healthy weight for each individual.

How to Gain Muscle: Tips, Diet, and Workout Design

If you're looking to see gains in strength, you may wonder how to gain muscle without gaining fat. Here's a science-based breakdown of what works.

www.healthline.com/health/fitness/how-to-gain-muscle#the-basics

My Take:

So, how do you build muscle mass? The article above has some very good tips to get you started, through both exercise and diet.

 

5 Critical Steps to Help Prevent a Stroke

American Heart Association News.

www.heart.org/en/news/2021/05/05/5-critical-steps-to-help-prevent-a-stroke

My Take:

As this article points out, the same habits that help prevent stroke can help prevent dementia (and heart disease) as well.

So, the strategies for preventing both are very similar, and include making healthy eating and physical activity a part of your daily life.

Paying attention to blood pressure control is also a must-do, and as the article illustrates, it’s never too early to start!

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