This article will explain why it’s almost impossible for a human to have a BMI of 11.
Much is said today about reducing obese BMIs, and rightly so, given that obesity is a major public health problem.
Yet, relatively little is said about underweight individuals. This is worrying, considering that severely underweight people can often be more prone to fatalities than even morbidly obese individuals.
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Is it possible to have a BMI of 11?
It’s likely impossible for a human to reach a BMI of 11, considering that a BMI a few points higher than this could well be fatal.
An 11 BMI is almost inconceivable because an individual would need to have virtually no fat tissue or muscle mass, which would be an indication of their extreme malnourishment.
The body simply can’t sustain life for very long at extremely low body weights, which is why it’s important to fix a low BMI before it becomes dangerously low.
While BMI as a tool does receive some criticism, it’s good for seeing who might be at risk for certain health problems that come with being underweight.
Why is it so bad to have a low BMI?
Having a low BMI can be fatal. But apart from fatality, a low BMI can also lead to osteoporosis, muscle loss, frequent illness, irregular periods, and malnutrition.
The body needs both sufficient nutrition and enough calories to carry out all of its complex and crucial physiological processes.
As such, if the body is starved, it simply won’t function as it’s supposed to, which leads to illness and, when a person’s BMI is extremely low, fatality.
Some people actually want to make their BMI as low as possible, which is a very dangerous thing to do. Often, these individuals have serious body image issues and eating disorders and require immediate medical care to prevent their weight from plummeting.
In conclusion
To be extra clear, it’s probably impossible for a person to have a BMI of 11, considering that fatalities have occurred at BMIs a few points higher (13-14) than our 11 BMI example.
Indeed, even if a person had a BMI that was double 11, they could still look quite slim and lean, depending on their body composition.