Short Wave

Should race affect BMI guidelines? Doctors are split

September 14, 2026·13 min·3-min readnarrativescience
Podzilla Summary (3 min)
TLDR
BMI, a 200-year-old metric never intended for medical use, remains a cornerstone of health assessments despite growing criticism for its oversimplification and racial inequities. The episode explores why doctors are reconsidering race-specific BMI cutoffs and whether any alternative can t

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Guest

K

Katie Wu

narrative on Short Wave

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Katie WuRegina Barber

Books

The Atlantic

Companies

NPR

Topics

Long Form JournalismMental HealthRacial Justice

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