“While BMI may have strong correlations with the amount of body weight composed of body fat in studies of averages of large groups of people, it does not directly measure body fat for an individual,” Dr. Scott Hagan writes. “Therefore, people with the same BMI may have substantially different body fat percentage based on a variety of factors such as age, muscle mass, sex and race.”
Scott Hagan
Dr. Scott Hagan is an Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington. He is a primary care physician with board certifications in Internal Medicine and Obesity Medicine. His research interests includes patient-centered obesity care, evidence-based medicine and primary care quality improvement.