A global panel of medical experts says it’s time to move beyond the widely used body mass index (BMI) when defining obesity. The current definition, which takes into account a person’s height and weight, lacks nuance and fails to determine whether a person is truly healthy.
Instead, the commission recommends using measures such as waist circumference and body fat percentage to diagnose obesity. This approach would help identify individuals who are at risk of developing chronic diseases, but may also benefit from weight loss treatments.
For athletes like Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and actor Jake Gyllenhaal, who have a high BMI due to muscle mass, the new definition could mean more people are classified as obese. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean they’re unhealthy.
The commission’s report suggests that obesity should be defined by two categories: clinical obesity, which is a chronic disease that harms organs or limits daily activities, and pre-clinical obesity, which includes individuals with excess body fat but no other health complications.
Using BMI alone to diagnose obesity is inadequate, according to researchers, as it doesn’t account for fat distribution around the body. Some areas of excess fat, such as around the waist or liver, may pose a greater health risk than others.
The new definition could impact medication coverage, with weight-loss drugs becoming more targeted towards individuals who meet specific criteria. However, some experts question whether this will address the root causes of obesity and if it will lead to increased stigma against people who are overweight.
Fat advocates argue that classifying obesity as a disease can harm people who are overweight and reinforce stigma. They advocate for tailored treatment approaches that focus on individual needs rather than categorizing all fat people as diseased.
Source: https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2025/01/14/new-obesity-diagnosis-method-ozempic-era-bmi/77675750007