New guidance from a team of health experts around the world proposes expanding the definition of obesity beyond the popular body mass index (BMI) measure.

There may be a more effective way to define and diagnose obesity, according to a commission of scientists that proposed a major change regarding the metabolic disease. Body mass index (BMI), a calculated measure of height related to weight,

BMI has long been falling out of favor. When the American Medical Association urged downgrading BMI in 2023, it blamed its “racist exclusion” and “historical harm.” The group also recommended measuring waist circumference as well as body composition.

The recommendations also put forth two new diagnosis categories: clinical obesity and pre-obesity. The first describes people with evidence of health conditions caused by excess weight, such as heart disease. The latter refers to people at risk of developing a health condition due to their level of body fat.

New recommendations on how to define obesity would reduce the emphasis on body mass index and also take into account health problems from extra weight and other measurements.

The clinical definition for "obesity" is not one size fits all. Relying on body mass index (BMI) alone can lead to under-diagnosis of people who are

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BMI has long been considered a flawed measure that can over-diagnose or underdiagnose obesity, which is currently defined as a BMI of 30 or more. But people with excess body fat do not always have a BMI above 30, the report notes. And people with high muscle mass — football players or other athletes — may have a high BMI despite normal fat mass.

A group of global experts is proposing a new way to define and diagnose obesity, reducing the emphasis on the controversial body mass index and hoping to better identify people who need treatment for the disease caused by excess body fat.

A group of global experts is proposing a new way to define and diagnose obesity, reducing the emphasis on the controversial body mass index and hoping to better identify people who need treatment for

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