Body mass index alone is not sufficient for obesity diagnosis

An international study led by King's College London has revealed that relying solely on body mass index (BMI) for diagnosing obesity is insufficient and a new approach is needed.

According to the study, led by King's College London, which examined health data from 844,108 adults in China, the UK, the US, and Spain, relying solely on body mass index (BMI) to diagnose obesity can lead to missed risks or misclassifications. The findings, published in the journal Nature, emphasize that BMI does not directly indicate the amount of body fat, its distribution, or its impact on health. The analyses showed that using BMI alone failed to detect obesity-level body fat in 8.6 percent of participants, while incorrectly classifying 3.1 percent as obese.