Good Lifestyle

Over 100 million American adults are obese, and more than 22 million have severe obesity - This is equivalent to more than two in five adults, according to the centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). In addition, the World Health Organization (WHO) reports that adult obesity worldwide more than doubled Since 1990.

Obesity alone can increase the risk of mortality, while exposing individuals to a greater risk for other comorbidities, such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. But new research indicates that the way we measure the risk of obesity is exceeded and leads to erroneous diagnoses.

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BMI compared to body fat: how the measures differ

The percentage of body fat is "much more precise" to predict the risk of heart disease and death than the body mass index (BMI), according to a new research analysis published in the journal Annals of family medicine .

The researchers involved in the study "urged doctors to move away from BMI as a standard body composition measure", according to A press release Shared by the University of Florida Health.

BRI measures " your size ratio To your weight to estimate the amount of body fat you have, ”according to the Cleveland Clinic. A range of “optimal” or healthy BMIs is 18.5 to 24.9. Someone is considered overweight if their BMI is between 25 and 29.9, and obese if he has a BMI of 30 or more.

A higher BMI generally indicates a higher amount of body fat. However, "BMI alone does not diagnose health" and "it is not precise in certain cases," explains the clinic.

Meanwhile, the percentage of body fat is determined using a bioelectric impedance device. It "measures the electrical impedance of body tissue and can be used to assess the volumes of liquid, total body water and body mass without fat", as explained in the study.

Principal researcher Ark maintained , PHD, called percentage of body fat A "practical alternative" for the body mass index.

"One of the routine measures that we take alongside traditional vital signs is BMI. We use the BMI for a sort of screen for a person with a problem with their body composition, but this is not correct for all those who are vital signs," said Mainous, who is also a professor and vice-president of the research of the community of community health and family medicine.

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The BMI is more likely to miss health risks and badly diagnose people and obese.

One of the biggest huts with BMI is that He cannot differentiate himself muscle mass of fat. In other words, someone who is extremely muscular (such as athletes or bodybuilders) may have the impression that they are "obese" due to a higher than normal BMI. But that would be inaccurate , because BMI equation does not explain muscle mass.

"The body mass index can potentially classify individuals with an overweight or obese muscular physique," wrote the authors. In addition, patients with a "normal" but "high" BMI for the percentage of body fat "may not be aware of their significantly increased risk of metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases."

The team also noted that the BMI categories "in an inaccurately predict both mortality all causes and cardiovascular".

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Research shows that high body fat can considerably increase the risk of death.

A new study is a strong case to use the percentage of body fat in relation to BMI scores.

The researchers analyzed health data of 4,252 adults, aged 20 to 49, of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. They carried out a statistical analysis comparing the body mass index with the percentage of body fat (the latter via a bioelectric impedance device) to see who was more precise to calculate the mortality results at 15 years.

According to their results, there was only a precision of overlap of 60% between the two measures. People with high body fat had a risk of death of 78% . In addition, they were at a 3.6 times, an increased risk of mortality caused by heart disease .

In addition, during the 15 years, the high BMI was not linked to a significant risk of all causes. And there was also no considerable link to death by heart disease.

The authors note that the bioelectric impedance scales are "inexpensive, reliable, valid and can be easily integrated into a clinic". (You could even see them in your gymnasium - Mine has one!)

"The BMI is so anchored in the way we think of body fat," said Mainous. "I think the study shows that it is time to go to an alternative that has now been much better at work."

The authors concluded: "This study demonstrates the value of a new and relatively unused measurement of the body composition to predict health risk ... These results suggest rethinking the way in which we must measure body composition in clinical environment."