The American Medical Association (AMA) — which has been hijacked by fanatical leftists — finally used the word "racist" in a manner that will help the average athlete, including white ones. The statement will also make health insurance executive’s lives more difficult, which is an added bonus.
The Epoch Times reports the AMA has come out against the Body Mass Index (BMI) as a measure of obesity.
"In a June 14 press release, the AMA said that BMI as a measurement tool was "racist" as it has largely relied on data collected from generations of non-Hispanic white populations."
BMI for insurance companies is a one-size-offends-all method of raising health insurance premiums for individuals the company deems obese.
Plug an applicant’s height and weight into the federally approved chart and bingo!
We can’t give you the preferred rate because Uncle Sam says you’re a load.
The fact the index is flawed makes no difference to the feds or to the companies.
As far as BMI is concerned weight is weight. BMI penalizes muscle the same way it does fat. That’s why an All–American gymnast is rated as obese by underwriters, while Mahatma Gandhi is held to be the perfect avatar of manliness.
Men who lift weights are penalized severely for having the temerity to add a few pounds of muscle and they have the insurance premiums to prove it.
But no more.
The AMA says "the relative body shape and composition of human beings differ across racial and ethnic groups, genders, sexes, and ages. These factors are 'essential' when applying BMI.
"The AMA warned that BMI must not be used as a 'sole criterion' to deny any appropriate insurance reimbursement."
This does not, however, validate the "but I have big bones" excuse overweight people have been using for decades to explain their wheelbarrow-sized derriere.
Then the AMA gets down to details:
"The AMA is now suggesting that BMI be used in conjunction with other factors like measurements of visceral fat, body adiposity index, body composition, relative fat mass, waist circumference, and genetic or metabolic factors."
This means no more over the phone obesity rulings or online premium disappointments.
And to think it’s all due to charges of "racism!"
Don’t get us wrong though. We know there are overweight people.
We’ve been to Walmart.
"According to data from the CDC, the prevalence of obesity in the United States from 2017 to March 2020 was 41.9 percent — a big jump from 30.5 percent over the 1999–2000 period.
"During this period, the prevalence of severe obesity rose from 4.7 percent to 9.2 percent. This would mean that 73.6 percent of Americans have excess weight."
Even subtracting all the athletes — excluding offensive and defensive line members — from those numbers leaves the country in a bad situation.
Our suggestion for those who want to abandon the obese lifestyle is to discard yet another example of federal nutrition incompetence.
If you do go on a diet, avoid the federal food pyramid at all costs as you plan your meals.
Replacing fat with carbohydrates has done more to fatten America than any other factor.
Michael Reagan, the eldest son of President Reagan, is a Newsmax TV analyst. A syndicated columnist and author, he chairs The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael is an in-demand speaker with Premiere speaker's bureau. Read Michael Reagan's Reports — More Here.
Michael R. Shannon is a commentator, researcher for the League of American Voters, and an award-winning political and advertising consultant with nationwide and international experience. He is author of "Conservative Christian's Guidebook for Living in Secular Times (Now with added humor!)" Read Michael Shannon's Reports — More Here.