Why should BMI be interpreted cautiously in athletes?

• A. Because BMI can overestimate fat mass in highly muscular athletes.
• B. Because high muscle mass can elevate BMI despite low body fat, making BMI less accurate for athletic populations.
• C. Because BMI perfectly reflects body fat in athletes.
• D. Because BMI is calculated differently for athletes.

Answer: (B)

BMI uses weight and height to estimate body fat, but it can’t tell apart fat from lean mass. In athletes, a lot of muscle increases weight without adding fat, so the BMI can go up even when body fat is low. That’s why BMI should be interpreted with caution in athletic populations—the same calculation applies to everyone, but it doesn’t accurately reflect adiposity for people with high muscle mass. When assessing athletes, it’s better to use direct measures of body composition, like body fat percentage from skinfolds or DEXA, or other indicators such as waist circumference.