{
  "id": 15215036,
  "title": "Can We Ditch BMI for an Obesity Index That Predicts Disease Risk Better?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/can-we-ditch-bmi-for-an-obesity-index-that-predicts-disease-risk",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-10-17T14:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Nautilus",
    "slug": "nautilus",
    "url": "https://nautil.us/can-we-ditch-bmi-for-an-obesity-index-that-predicts-disease-risk-better-1285877/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "For years, the body mass index (BMI) has been the go-to measure for assessing obesity, despite its limitations. This index only considers height and weight, ignoring crucial factors like fat distribution, muscle mass, and other health-related metrics. Its simplicity, however, has made it an enduring and convenient standard. New research from China, published in Science Bulletin, questions whether a more sophisticated obesity index could better predict disease risk.\n\nTo test this hypothesis, a team of medical researchers analyzed health data from over 4 million adults aged 35 to 75 in the ChinaHEART cohort. They examined 15 different obesity indices, grouped into three categories: body shape, visceral fat, and metabolic function. Higher values for most of these indices were linked to increased risks of cardiovascular disease and diabetes. However, the relationship with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer was weaker, with some indices even showing inverse associations for these illnesses.\n\nThe findings suggest that a single obesity measure may not fully capture the range of health risks associated with obesity. Each index performed differently in predicting specific diseases. For instance, the Chinese visceral adiposity index, which estimates body fat, was more effective in predicting cardiovascular disease, while the triglyceride-glucose index, focusing on metabolic function, was better at predicting diabetes risk. Interestingly, the body shape index, which measures the proportion of abdominal fat to overall size, proved most effective in predicting COPD risk. This finding makes sense as fat distribution can impact respiratory function.\n\nThe study also highlighted that none of the examined obesity metrics showed a strong association with cancer risk. While the links found for other diseases were moderate at best, the researchers warn that these results may not be applicable to other ethnicities, given that the cohort consisted solely of individuals from mainland China.\n\nGiven these insights, the simplicity and convenience of BMI might persist for some time, even as more advanced obesity indices emerge with varying degrees of predictive power for disease risk.",
  "summary": "It’s ridiculously simplistic and nearly two centuries old The post Can We Ditch BMI for an Obesity Index That Predicts Disease Risk Better? appeared first on Nautilus .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}