Nickhil Jakatdar had a healthy BMI when he was diagnosed with heart disease: Why the number did not tell the full story

Nickhil Jakatdar explains why a healthy BMI can still hide unhealthy body composition. His experience with heart disease highlights why visceral fat, muscle mass and overall body function deserve attention alongside weight.​

His BMI was healthy when he was diagnosed with heart disease

Why BMI can give an incomplete picture

His numbers changed, but the bigger change was inside

What should be tracked beyond BMI?

The bigger lesson is to look beyond the scale

A person can have a “healthy” BMI and still have health concerns that the number does not reveal. That is the central point health and longevity expert Nickhil Jakatdar makes in a recent video, using his own health experience to explain why body weight should not be treated as the complete picture.Jakatdar, who has spoken extensively about preventive health, personalised healthcare and longevity, has also been involved with MiraOne, a health platform that brings together blood markers, genetic information and medication-response analysis. His interest in looking beyond surface-level health measures also comes from personal experience.Jakatdar recalls that his BMI was 22.1 when he was diagnosed with heart disease. That falls within the commonly used healthy BMI range.But another set of numbers told a different story. He says his visceral fat was 11, which he describes as well above the healthy range, while his muscle mass was 65%.That contrast is important because BMI only uses height and weight. It cannot distinguish between muscle, fat and other components of body weight.As Jakatdar puts it, BMI tells how heavy someone is for their height, but not what that weight is made of.BMI remains a useful screening measure, but it has an obvious limitation. Two people with the same height and weight can have very different body compositions.A muscular person and someone carrying more body fat can have a similar BMI. The number itself does not show where fat is stored or how much muscle a person has.Jakatdar's larger argument is not that BMI should be ignored. Instead, he suggests that it should not be the only number being followed.Today, Jakatdar says his BMI is 21.2, only a modest change from 22.1.The difference becomes much more striking when body composition is considered. He reports his visceral fat at 3, while his muscle mass has risen to 81%.That is why he describes it as “a completely different body.”The point is easy to miss when health conversations focus heavily on weight. A small change on the weighing scale may not capture a major change in body composition.Jakatdar encourages people to pay attention to what is happening inside the body rather than relying on weight alone. Depending on the individual, that can include measures of body composition, metabolic health, fitness and other clinically relevant health markers.His earlier discussions around muscle and protein fit into the same broader idea. He has highlighted muscle as an important part of healthy ageing and previously discussed protein intake, suggesting 1.2-1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight as a practical range for many adults, with higher needs potentially applying during intense training.Neither BMI nor protein intake, however, can provide a complete picture of health on its own.Jakatdar's story offers a useful reminder: looking healthy and being healthy are not always identical.A weighing scale can tell how much the body weighs. BMI can put that weight into a height-based category. But neither can independently explain everything happening within the body.That makes his message less about chasing a particular number and more about understanding what the numbers actually represent. As he says in the video, the goal should be to “read what's happening inside the body.”