Medical establishment declares BMI racist

Determining obesity by measuring a person’s body mass index (BMI) is now racist, according to a new policy last month by the American Medical Association (AMA).

Calculating a patient’s BMI — their weight divided by the square of their height — is the most common method physicians use to diagnose obesity. A BMI score of 30 or above is considered obese.

But the AMA says BMI will now be dropped as the prevailing method because of “racist exclusion”.

“Under the newly adopted policy, the AMA recognizes issues with using BMI as a measurement due to its historical harm, its use for racist exclusion, and because BMI is based primarily on data collected from previous generations of non-Hispanic white populations,” says the policy.

Instead, physicians should rely more on “measurements of visceral fat, body adiposity index, body composition, relative fat mass, waist circumference and genetic/metabolic factors.”

Perceived racism has become the guiding factor for several medical policies in recent years.

According to Baylor College of Medicine Professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Virology & Microbiology Dr. Peter Hotez, questioning the safety or efficacy of vaccines is an act of antisemitism. 

“More and more, the antivaccine framework is now heavily imbued with the imagery of Nazi era atrocities and relies on discrediting, humiliating, or threatening scientists and physicians, including many who are Jewish. Antiscience has become an opportunity to openly and brazenly express anti-Semitic tropes and beliefs,” Hortez added.

In addition to Baylor, many medical schools place a heavy emphasis on racism as an important consideration in the practice of medicine. This is at least in part due to requirements from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), which oversees medical school accreditations.

The AAMC, which claims that America’s health systems are racist, enforces diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) at medical colleges through its accreditation arm, the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME). The LCME makes DEI a requirement for accreditation and has had the desired effect.

Many medical colleges now request from applicants proof of victimization or to otherwise show commitment to DEI ideology during the application process by asking pointed secondary (school-specific) questions.

In some medical schools, DEI ideology is taught zealously. Medical students at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, for example, are required to study racism with little emphasis on health. Medical students at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical School used their white coat ceremony to recite a pledge about racism:

With gratitude, we, the students of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Medical School Class of 2026, stand here today among our friends, families, peers, mentors and communities, who have supported us in reaching this milestone. Our institution is located on Dakota Land. Today, many indigenous people throughout the state including Dakota and Ojibwe, call the Twin Cities home; we also recognize this acknowledgement is not enough.

We commit to uprooting the legacy and perpetuation of structural violence deeply embedded within the health care system.

We recognize inequities built by past and present traumas rooted in white supremacy, colonialism, the gender binary, ableism, and all forms of oppression.

As we enter this profession with an opportunity for growth, we commit to promoting a culture of anti-racism, listening, and amplifying voices for positive change.

We pledge to honor all indigenous ways of healing that have been historically marginalized by Western medicine, knowing that health is intimately connected to our environment, we commit to healing our planet and communities.

We vow to embrace our role as community members and strive to embody cultural humility. We promise to continue restoring trust in the medical system and fulfilling our responsibilities as educators and advocates. We commit to collaborating with social, political, and additional systems to advance health equity.