- Researchers investigated the accuracy of Body Mass Index (BMI) in predicting obesity among adults aged 20-59 years old.
- They found that BMI predicted less than half of people with obesity as predicted by body fat percentage.
- The findings indicate that supplementary measures to BMI should be taken to calculate healthy weight.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is an indicator of weight categories ranging from underweight to obese and is widely used to assess the risk of various conditions. It is
However, increasing research suggests that BMI is insufficient for predicting body fat percentage. This comes as it does not account for fat distribution around the body, muscle mass, bone density, and racial and sexual differences.
Further investigation of the limitations of BMI as a health indicator could inform more effective strategies for assessing weight and overall health.
Recently, researchers investigated the accuracy of BMI measures in predicting obesity.
Whereas only 36% of participants were classified as obese by BMI, close to 3 in 4 were considered obese according to measures of total body fat percentage.
Dr. Wang Lushun, Senior Consultant Orthopedic Surgeon in Singapore, not involved in the study, told Medical News Today:
“The study underscores the limitations of BMI as a singular measure of health, highlighting a possible need for a more comprehensive system. Such a system should factor in potential racial or ethnic disparities for a more accurate health assessment of each individual.”
Researchers presented the findings recently at ENDO 2023, the Endocrine Society’s annual meeting in Chicago.
For the study, the researchers analyzed data from 9,784 participants with an average age of 39 years old from the 2011-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).
Data included BMI and body fat percentage calculated by dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DEXA). BMIs were grouped into…
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