BMI or BVI? We Know What We Would Rather Pick

The Body Mass Index (BMI) was created in 1830, a simple ratio of weight to height has been the go-to metric for assessing body weight categories and population health trends. However, its limitations are becoming increasingly clear as it ignores muscle mass, fat distribution, ethnicity, age and gender. Our Body Volume Index (BVI), uses 3D body scanning technology to offer advanced health metrics on body shape and visceral fat. We are going to tell you how it provides a more reliable lens into our health.

Strengths and Weaknesses of BMI

The simplicity and acceptance of BMI allows for healthcare systems to embed and adopt it as a measurement easily. Though this is its greatest flaw. The easy calculation doesn’t account for where the weight comes from, fat or muscle, and ignores how it may be distributed inside the body. This means muscular individuals, gender and ethnic differences in the body get misclassified and labelled as overweight. Medical Professionals are critical of BMI and do encourage looking at other measures alongside BMI.

Why BVI Offers Superior Insights

BVI offers a more comprehensive picture of your body composition by using just 2 images to measure your body volume, fat distribution and visceral fat levels. These metrics can be used to assess whether an individual is at risk of developing certain health risks. It has been validated via Mayo Clinic and The Lancet Report, for delivering accurate detailed body metrics. BVI offers consistency, specificity, and actionable insights reflective of individual body composition. BVI offers 3 solutions; mybvi, BVI-Pro and BVI API. All of these products appeal to a different target market to accommodate different healthcare environments. So whether you are looking for a personal, a clinical or health-tech solution BVI can support your needs.

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While BMI has served as a foundational tool in health assessments for nearly two centuries, its limitations are too significant to ignore in today’s data-driven works. As technology advances we can move towards more personalised and precise healthcare, BVI offers a smarter, more inclusive alternative. BVI empowers individuals and professionals with insights that BMI simply cannot provide. Whether you’re tracking your own health, working in clinical settings, or developing health-tech solutions, BVI ensures that everyone has access to meaningful, accurate and actionable body composition data.

References:

Adab, P., Pallan, M., & Whincup, P. H. (2018). Is BMI the best measure of obesity? BMJ, 360, k1274. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k1274

Byker Shanks, C., Bruening, M., & Yaroch, A. L. (2025). BMI or not to BMI? Debating the value of body mass index as a measure of health in adults. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 22(23). https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12966-025-01719-6

Tahrani, A., Boelaert, K., Barnes, R., Palin, S., Field, A., Redmayne, H., Aytok, L., & Rahim, A. (2008). Body volume index: Time to replace body mass index? Endocrine Abstracts, 15, P104. https://www.endocrine-abstracts.org/ea/0015/ea0015p104

Wu, Y., Li, D., & Vermund, S. H. (2024). Advantages and limitations of the body mass index (BMI) to assess adult obesity. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 21(6), 757. https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/757

SciForschen. (n.d.). Validation of a white-light 3D body volume scanner to assess body composition. Obesity: Open Access, 3(127). https://sciforschenonline.org/journals/obesity/OOA-3-127.php