The Body Mass Index

Maintenance Phase

Aubrey Gordon & Michael Hobbes

Wellness, Health & Fitness, History, Education, Science, Health

4.8 • 16.3K Ratings

🗓️ 3 August 2021

⏱️ 69 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The BMI is EVERYWHERE. But is it scientific or scientif-ish? While many Americans think of the body mass index as an objective measure of health, its history reveals a more complicated story. This week, Mike and Aubrey tackle the first in a two-part series about the BMI and the “Obesity Epidemic.” Along the way they visit 18th century Belgium, learn a gross new acronym and dissect Dracula's facial features.

LINKS!:

The Bizarre and Racist History of the BMI (Elemental)
Adolphe Quetelet, Social Physics, and the Average Men of Science, 1796-1874 (University of Pittsburgh Press)
Mindful of eugenics’ dark history, researchers are reexamining the genetics of social mobility (Quartz)
Adolphe Quetelet (1796–1874)—the average man and indices of obesity (Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation)
For Researchers on Obesity: Historical Review of Extra Body Weight Definitions (Obesity)
Quetelet, Adolphe (Canada’s Eugenics Archives)
Top 10 Reasons Why The BMI Is Bogus (NPR)
The False Science Linking Body Shape to Personality (The Atlantic)
Obesity task force linked to WHO takes “millions” from drug firms (The BMJ)
Impact of weight bias and stigma on quality of care and outcomes for patients with obesity (Obesity Reviews)

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Transcript

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0:00.0	We're ready. I think you're up on intro, yeah?
0:14.0	This one might be kind of offensive. Sorry, in advance.
0:18.0	Welcome to Maintenance Phase. The podcast that is just right between 20 and 25,
0:24.0	too long, between 25 and 30, and more literally too long, between 30 to 35.
0:29.0	Oh God, I just want to make the tagline of our podcast just permanently,
0:34.0	like the podcast that is morbidly too long.
0:37.0	When you apply morbidly to anything else, you see how shitty it is.
0:41.0	Yeah, describe another person as morbidly anything, and see how that goes.
0:45.0	It's not going to be great.
0:47.0	I am Michael Hobs.
0:48.0	I am Aubrey Gordon.
0:49.0	And if you want to support the show, we are on Patreon at patreon.com slash maintenance phase,
0:54.0	where you can listen to our adorable bonus episodes about things like Megan and Harry
0:58.0	and the bachelor, or you can buy t-shirts or just give us money for no reason,
1:03.0	or do none of that, and just continue listening quietly.
1:07.0	That's right.
1:08.0	So today, Mike, we are going to talk about the Body Mass Index,
1:11.0	better known as the BMI.
1:13.0	Dude, I'm so excited.
1:14.0	I am really excited, too.
1:15.0	We did a whole episode on Bommos stuff, and now we're doing one on Beamy stuff.
1:20.0	Beamy.
	...

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