STAT+: BMI alternative would flip obesity diagnosis for millions, study finds
A newly proposed way of identifying obesity could flip the diagnoses of millions of people. Proponents argue it could lead to more precise care.
London — Millions of individuals could see their obesity diagnoses reversed, either from classified as having obesity to not, or vice versa, if an alternative definition of the disease were adopted instead of the conventional body mass index (BMI), according to a recent study published in the journal Nature. The research contributes to the ongoing discussion surrounding the limitations of BMI and potential replacements for it.
The BMI, deeply ingrained as a metric, influences various aspects of healthcare, including regulatory decisions, insurance coverage, and eligibility for specific medical treatments. However, it is criticized for being a coarse measure that overlooks other health concerns and disparities in body composition, such as the location of fat storage.
The new research was motivated by the desire to develop an alternative diagnostic framework. Last year, a Lancet commission proposed a pathway aimed at identifying individuals whose health is currently adversely affected by their weight, and who are more likely to face severe outcomes in the future. The full story can be found at STAT+.
Written by urgent.news from STAT News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
