{
  "id": 19520185,
  "title": "STAT+: BMI alternative would flip obesity diagnosis for millions, study finds",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/stat-bmi-alternative-would-flip-obesity-diagnosis-for-millions-study",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-11T16:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "STAT News",
    "slug": "stat-news",
    "url": "https://www.statnews.com/2026/11/11/obesity-diagnosis-bmi-lancet-commission-proposal-impact/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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+.",
  "summary": "A newly proposed way of identifying obesity could flip the diagnoses of millions of people. Proponents argue it could lead to more precise care.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Guardian Health",
        "title": "BMI alternative for identifying obesity ‘could prevent misdiagnosis in millions’",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/11/bmi-alternative-for-identifying-obesity-could-prevent-misdiagnosis-in",
        "published": "2026-11-11T16:00:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}