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Body mass index (BMI) may not be the most accurate predictor of death risk.
A new study from the University of Florida found that in terms of predicting mortality, BMI, a measure commonly used to determine whether a person’s weight is within a healthy range.
Instead, a person’s body fat levels are “more accurate”, the study concluded, the study was published this week in the Family Medicine Annals.
BMI is the wrong way to measure obesity, researchers say.
To measure participants’ body fat, the researchers used a method called bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), which uses devices to measure the resistance of body tissue to small currents.
The researchers found that over a 15-year period, people who found high body fat were 78% higher than those with healthy fat levels.
The researchers say the body mass index (BMI) may not be the most accurate predictor of death risk. (iStock)
The study notes that they are more than three times more likely to die from a heart disease.
BMI (calculated by dividing the weight into squares) is described as “completely unreliable” to predict the risk of death over a 15-year period for any cause.
The study included 4,252 people in the United States and obtained data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey.
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Frank Orlando, medical director of Springhill UF Health Family Medicine, said BMI should not be used as a “video sign” for health.
“I am a family doctor and I regularly face patients with diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other obesity-related patients,” Orlando said in a press release for the study.
The researchers found that over a 15-year period, people who found high body fat were 78% higher than those with healthy fat levels. (iStock)
He added: “One of the conventional measures we take with traditional vital signs is BMI. We use BMI to screen someone with problems with body composition, but it is not as accurate to everyone as vital signs.”
According to many sources, BMI has been an international standard for measuring obesity since the 1980s, although some experts question its effectiveness.
“I think this research shows that it’s time to do an alternative that is now proven to be much better at work.”
If an individual has a BMI of 30 or above, it is considered obese, if overweight is between 25 and 29.9, the “normal” weight is in the range of 18.5 to 24.9, or underweight (if below 18.5).
The researchers noted that although BMI is easy to calculate, one of its main limitations is that it cannot distinguish between muscle and fat mass.
“People with bodybuilders can indeed improve their weight index,” one doctor said. “But even if there is a BMI that shows they are obese, they are healthy.” (iStock)
“For example, people with bodybuilders can really improve their weight index,” Orlando said. “But even if there is a BMI that shows they are obese, they are healthy.”
“BMI is so deeply rooted in our perception of body fat.” “I think this research shows that it’s time to do an alternative that is now proven much better at work.”
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The researchers noted that other methods, such as DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorption Method), scans may be more accurate than BIA, but are more expensive and less easy to use.
“If you talk to obesity researchers, they will say you have to use a DEXA scan because it’s the most accurate,” Mainous said in a press release. “This may be true. But, in a doctor’s office or a home clinic, this is never feasible.”
“It’s a simple measurement tool that can help us understand a wide range of populations and demographic high-risk groups, but does not provide accurate data from patients to patients,” one doctor said of BMI. (iStock)
Stephen Vogel Weight management Options – Respond to the limitations of BMI.
“It’s a simple measurement tool that can help us understand a wide range of populations and demographics at high risk, but it doesn’t provide accurate data from patients to patients,” a North Carolina doctor who was not involved in the study told Fox News Digital.
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“These findings do not challenge the assumptions about BMI, they reinforce the information that new standards, provided in a consistent and low-cost way, will provide better nuances for individuals when providing overall physical health.”
Potential limitations
“The main advantages of this study are better correlated with the risk of individual morbidity and mortality — but the limitation is that we do not have enough data to determine the correct cutoff for these numbers, or to determine the tools that are both accurate and precise in the entire population,” Vogel said.
The researchers also acknowledged that the body fat percentage threshold has not yet been standardized like BMI and waist circumference.
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Similarly, the age range of study participants was limited by the data source.
“Future research should compare body fat with BMI in older people,” the researchers wrote.
“These data will be better discussed in the doctor’s office and in public health plans to improve the health of all,” said one doctor. (iStock)
They noted that the study was also limited, with only mortality as a result without taking into account any developing disease (such as heart failure or cancer) that can deepen understanding of body fat as a risk factor.
Vogel believes that the goal is a cost-effective, consistent approach to using reliable and accurate in population use.
“These data will be better discussed in the doctor’s office as well as in public health plans to improve the health of all.”
“The benefits will emerge in the form of a more detailed list of information that can help providers and patients make informed decisions about the patient’s health, which is ideal,” Vogel noted.
“I hope these measures are buzzing enough to continue taking steps to implement them regularly.”
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The researchers hope that once the criteria are verified, measuring the percentage of body fat through bioselective impedance analysis may become a standard of care.
“These data will be better discussed in the doctor’s office as well as in public health plans to improve the health of all,” they added.
