專家表示 體質指數並不能衡量身體健康與否
People need to ditch the obsession with body mass index and rethink the way they judge obesity, a new report states.
一項最新研究指出，人們應該擺脫對體質指數的迷信，重新審視自己對肥胖的看法。Researchers from the University of Alberta say the metric, which measures a person's body size from their weight and height, has become a benchmark in modern medicine.
據來自阿爾伯塔大學的研究人員表示，通過測量人的身高和體重來衡量一個人的體型度，已經成爲現代醫學的一個基準。But body mass index (BMI) is not only a bad indicator of how healthy you are, it can lead to doctors prescribing the wrong treatment for patients, the scientists say.
但是科學家們表示，體質指數不僅不能說明你健康與否，還可能會導致醫生爲病人制定錯誤的治療方案。
BMI first gained popularity in the 1970s as a way of judging body fat. A healthy BMI is typically measured between 18.5 and 24.9.
作爲一種衡量體脂的方法，體質指數第一次被人們接受是在上世紀70年代。健康的體質指數一般在18.5到24.9之間。Anything under 18.5 is considered underweight. BMIs between 25 and 29.9 fall into overweight territory, and above 30 is considered obese.
體質指數低於18.5則會被認爲體重過輕，25到29.9之間則會被認爲過重，30以上就是肥胖了。
It is useful for tracking population trends in body weight, but has well-known limitations when applied to individuals, Dr Arya Sharma, an obesity researcher at the University of Alberta in Canada, told Live Science.
加拿大阿爾伯塔大學肥胖研究者艾麗婭·夏爾馬博士向Live Science透露，體質指數用來追蹤人口體重變化是有用的，但是當適用於個人的時候就有很多衆所周知的限制性了。For example, many professional athletes qualify as overweight or obese based on solely their BMI. But they have much more muscle mass, which weighs proportionally more than fat.
比如說，如果只看體質指數的話，許多職業運動員都是過重或者肥胖。但是他們的肌肉要多得多，佔比遠超脂肪含量。And while someone with a BMI of above 30 is considered obese by the metric, they may actually be perfectly healthy, metabolically speaking, according to Dr Sharma.
根據夏爾馬博士的說法，儘管某些人體質指數高於30並被認爲是肥胖，但是事實上從新陳代謝的角度來講，他們可能非常健康。Their blood pressure is normal, their livers are functioning well and their cholesterol levels are within normal limits.
他們的血壓正常、肝功能良好、膽固醇水平也在正常範圍之內。On the other hand, some people with BMIs below 30 have health problems if they were to lose weight.
而另一方面，如果某些體質指數低於30的人減肥的話，他們可能會出現一些健康問題。
