Researchers suggest a more accurate way to measure obesity than BMI.

A team of 58 researchers is advocating for a more effective method to assess obesity.

The recommendations of the global team were published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology on January 14th.

Since the 1980s, BMI has been the standard for measuring obesity worldwide, but some experts have raised doubts about its accuracy.

The calculation of a person's BMI involves dividing their weight by the square of their height in feet.

According to Francesco Rubino, chair of bariatric and metabolic surgery at King’s College London, United Kingdom, obesity is a multifaceted issue with varying implications at the individual level.

He stated that obesity is a "continuum" rather than a "specific medical condition."

Rubino continued, "Obesity may not be classified as a disease because its definition cannot overlap with body size or excessive fat."

The Commission on Clinical Obesity has suggested a new approach to obesity that separates individuals with current disease from those who may develop it in the future, according to Rubino.

The researchers suggest measuring adiposity, in addition to BMI, to accurately assess body fat.

According to researchers, determining adiposity can be done by measuring a person's waist circumference or taking body scans to measure fat mass.

The panel of specialists advises employing two categories of obesity: preclinical and clinical.

The individual has an excessive amount of body fat that has not impaired the functioning of their tissues and organs.

"People with clinical obesity suffer from a chronic illness and should be treated in the same way as people who suffer from any other chronic disease."

The researchers noted that the person may have an increased risk of developing clinical obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and some types of cancer.

Excess adiposity leads to a chronic, systemic illness that affects the function of tissues, organs, the entire individual or a combination thereof, which is known as clinical obesity.

Severe end-organ damage may result from clinical obesity, potentially leading to life-altering and life-threatening complications, according to researchers.

Clinical obesity may lead to potential effects such as heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.

"Since these categories of obesity are new, we cannot determine their prevalence in the population," Rubino stated. "Doctors have not yet been able to diagnose these conditions because many of the organ dysfunctions associated with clinical obesity have not been routinely assessed."

The researchers call for future studies into these diagnoses.

Clinicians should assess people with obesity in the clinic and use alternative measures of body size, such as waist circumference, to determine if an increased BMI level is due to excess body fat or other factors, like increased muscle mass, according to Rubino.

Obesity may have caused organ dysfunction, clinicians should assess individuals when excess body fat is confirmed, the researcher stated.

Rubino stated that individuals with clinical obesity should be treated similarly to those with any other chronic illness, as they suffer from a chronic condition.

"Evidence-based health counseling, monitoring of health status, and appropriate intervention should be provided to people with preclinical obesity to reduce the risk of developing clinical obesity," the authors stated.

Approximately 40% of U.S. adults had obesity between August 2021 and August 2023, with around 9.4% of those adults having severe obesity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

‘Outdated measure’

Dr. Brett Osborn, a neurosurgeon, longevity expert, and fitness competitor from Florida, believes that BMI is an "outdated measure" for diagnosing obesity.

"It is clear that obesity should no longer be defined solely by physical appearance or weight."

The doctor stated that as medicine advances, it is evident that obesity should not solely be defined by physical appearance or weight, but also by other factors, such as body composition and health risks.

"Metabolic dysfunction should be used to understand the condition."

According to Osborn, obesity is not just a condition of excessive weight but a "complicated metabolic issue that calls for personalized and intricate treatment."

The doctor believes that the condition is better assessed by examining inflammation, insulin resistance, and glucose tolerance.

Some athletes with high muscle mass may be classified as obese based on BMI, while individuals with a "normal" BMI can still have dangerous levels of abdominal fat.

In his clinic, Osborn and his team rely on visceral fat scores, skeletal muscle mass, and body fat percentage instead of using BMI.

The muscles that connect to bones are essential for physical strength and metabolic efficiency, according to Osborn.

To achieve optimal health, males should aim for 50% skeletal muscle mass relative to total body weight, while females should target 45%, considering other factors such as age and fitness levels.

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Your muscle holds the key to your resilience, which is your ability to fight off illness, Osborn emphasized.

"We can accurately diagnose obesity and tailor interventions by integrating body composition metrics, metabolic markers, and personalized assessments."