BMI remains a reliable indicator of excess body fat in most adults, discovers the study

Researchers at the University of Johns Hopkins found that almost all adults identified as obesity according to the body mass index (BMI) had also confirmed excessive adiposity.

The use of BMI to diagnose obesity has become more and more controversial. BMI does not distinguish between body fat, muscles and bone mass, which raises concerns that obesity can be median. An expert commission recently recommended that clinical obesity assessments be confirmed by the direct measure of body fats or BMI and at least the other anthropometric index.

In a research letter, “prevalence of obesity with and without confirmation of excess adiposity with us,” published in JamaThe researchers analyzed the data of a transversal survey to assess the prevalence of obesity using both BMI and confirming measures of body fat.

The researchers evaluated the data of 2,225 adults aged 20 to 59 years of participation in the national survey on health and nutrition exams 2017-2018 (Nhanes). The survey included standardized measurements of size, weight and waist tower, as well as X -ray -energy X -ray absorptiometry (Dexa) to determine the percentages of body fat.

Participants with a high BMI and either a high size, a percentage of high body fat or a BMI of 40 or more were considered to have confirmed excessive adiposity. The BMI thresholds were adjusted by race and ethnicity, with obesity defined as a BMI of 30 or more for most participants, and 27.5 or more for non -Hispanic Asian people.

When the BMI is considered, 39.7% respected the definition of obesity. When using the BMI in conjunction with excessive adiposity confirmation criteria, the prevalence dropped very slightly to 39.1%. Overall, 98.4% of people with obesity on the basis of the BMI had confirmed excessive adiposity.

The results were consistent through age, sex and racial and ethnic groups. The prevalence remained the same when the adiposity was confirmed by excess excess using either high size or body fat measured by Dexa.

Researchers note that if certain groups, such as athletes, may need an individualized evaluation, these individuals probably represent a very small part of the population. For almost all American adults with high BMI, there may be a limited need to confirm an excess of adiposity.

Confirmation of body fats in clinical areas can be technically difficult and costly. The results of this study suggest that for the majority of adults, the BMI remains a reliable indicator of excessive adiposity and that confirmation tests can be useless for most cases.

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