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Short people may be fatter than they thought, and tall people thinner, according to an Oxford mathmo.


Short people may be fatter than they thought, and tall people thinner, according to an Oxford mathmo.

Balliol fellow Nick Trefethen has challenged the Body Mass Index (BMI) used to judge if someone is overweight.

He claims the existing formula underestimates how much weight tall people naturally carry.

According to his calculations, a 6ft tall person would have to weight 13 stone 10lbs to be overweight, rather than the previous 13st 3lbs.

MailOnline have provided a handy infographic here:

Source: MailOnline

Prof Trefethen called on the NHS to justify their formula.

He told the Daily Mail: “The NHS relies on the BMI pervasively in all of its public discussions of obesity. We deserve an explanation of what justification they have for using this formula.”