{
  "id": 19982064,
  "title": "Is there a better way of diagnosing obesity than BMI?",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/11/14/is-there-a-better-way-of-diagnosing-obesity-than-bmi",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-11-14T13:00:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Scientific American",
    "slug": "scientific-american",
    "url": "https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-there-a-better-way-of-diagnosing-obesity-than-bmi/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A new study proposes a more accurate way of diagnosing obesity than the traditional Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation. For decades, BMI has been used to identify obesity because it is quick and easy to measure in a doctor's office. However, BMI does not provide information on the type of body composition or whether excess fat is negatively impacting a person's health. A landmark study in Nature this week tests an alternative approach that distinguishes between clinical obesity (when excess fat impairs organ function or everyday activities) and preclinical obesity (when excess fat is present but function remains intact).\n\nThe study, published in Nature, analyzed health data from over 844,000 adults across four countries. Researchers found that BMI both overestimated and underestimated obesity in certain groups compared to the new framework. They also discovered that individuals with clinical and preclinical obesity had different long-term health risks. While most with preclinical obesity did not progress to clinical obesity over a decade, those with clinical obesity had a significantly higher risk of death.\n\nInterestingly, the study found that most people classified as obese under the new framework did not actually meet the clinical obesity definition based on BMI alone. Instead, they were categorized as having preclinical obesity. This suggests that diagnosing obesity based on both the presence of excess body fat and its actual impact on the body, rather than just BMI, could lead to better identification of individuals experiencing obesity-related diseases or at risk of developing them.\n\nThe researchers acknowledge that more work is needed before the new framework can be implemented in clinical practice. They aim to better understand which factors can predict whether preclinical obesity will progress to clinical obesity. However, if adopted, the findings could significantly improve how doctors approach obesity treatment. Instead of treating all individuals with a particular BMI threshold the same, healthcare providers could tailor care based on whether excess body fat is already impairing health or represents a risk of future disease. This approach would bring obesity diagnosis more in line with other complex health conditions.",
  "summary": "A landmark study proposes a new way to identify people whose excess body fat is affecting their health",
  "key_points": [
    "New study proposes alternative to BMI for diagnosing obesity",
    "Framework distinguishes clinical from preclinical obesity based on health impact",
    "Preclinical obesity patients show lower long-term disease risk compared to clinical cases"
  ],
  "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."
}