A panel of global experts is proposing a new way to define and diagnose obesity, de-emphasizing the controversial body mass index and hoping to better identify individuals.
Written by UNN with reference to The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
For decades, recommendations for diagnosing obesity have focused on a single value: body mass index (abbreviated as BMI). To calculate BMI, body weight in kilograms is divided by height in meters squared.
However, there has long been criticism that BMI alone is not a reliable indicator of overweight and, above all, does not provide any information about a person's health.
An international commission of more than 50 experts now wants to change this and, in addition, answer the question of how much obesity should be considered a disease.
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According to new guidelines published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, obesity should no longer be defined solely by BMI, a calculation of height and weight. Instead, it is proposed to combine the diagnosis with other measurements, such as waist circumference, plus evidence of health problems associated with extra pounds.
Two new categories
The report introduces new diagnostic categories: clinical obesity and preclinical obesity.
People who are clinically obese meet BMI and other markers of obesity and show signs of organ, tissue, or other problems caused by being overweight. These can include heart disease, high blood pressure, liver or kidney disease, and chronic severe knee or hip pain. They need to undergo a course of treatment, including diet, exercise, and obesity medications.
People with preclinical obesity are at risk for these conditions but do not have a current illness, the report says.
Addendum
It is emphasized that people with excess body fat do not always have a BMI above 30. And people with high muscle mass, such as football players or other athletes, may have a high BMI despite having normal body fat.