Is the BMI chart keeping you stuck in your recovery? Growing up, the BMI scale was the barometer for my eating disorder, and later, a source of panic during period recovery. But the BMI was never designed for women, or even for medical health.
In this episode, we dismantle the outdated science behind the BMI chart and explore why body fat is actually a vital organ for your fertility.
We cover:
The flawed history of BMI (and why it ignores female physiology).
Why body fat is essential for bone health, brain function, and hormones.
The role of Leptin: How this “satiety hormone” signals safety to your reproduction system.
If you are spiraling over the numbers on a chart, this episode is your permission to stop measuring and start nourishing.
References
Dornbush S, Aeddula NR. Physiology, Leptin. [Updated 2023 Apr 10]. In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan-. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK537038/
Elias, C. F., & Purohit, D. (2013). Leptin signaling and circuits in puberty and fertility. Cellular and molecular life sciences : CMLS, 70(5), 841–862. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00018-012-1095-1
Karlsson, C., Lindell, K., Svensson, E., Bergh, C., Lind, P., Billig, H., Carlsson, L. M., & Carlsson, B. (1997). Expression of functional leptin receptors in the human ovary. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 82(12), 4144–4148. https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.82.12.4446
Mair, K. M., Gaw, R., & MacLean, M. R. (2020). Obesity, estrogens and adipose tissue dysfunction - implications for pulmonary arterial hypertension. Pulmonary circulation, 10(3), 2045894020952019. https://doi.org/10.1177/2045894020952023
Miller, K. K., Parulekar, M. S., Schoenfeld, E., Anderson, E., Hubbard, J., Klibanski, A., & Grinspoon, S. K. (1998). Decreased leptin levels in normal weight women with hypothalamic amenorrhea: the effects of body composition and nutritional intake. The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 83(7), 2309–2312. https://doi.org/10.1210/jcem.83.7.4975
Pray, R., & Riskin, S. (2023). The History and Faults of the Body Mass Index and Where to Look Next: A Literature Review. Cureus, 15(11), e48230. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.48230
Tara, S. (2016). The secret life of fat: The science behind the body’s least understood organ and what it means for you. W. W. Norton & Company.
