Recent research introduces an updated definition of obesity, suggesting more individuals might be affected than previously reported. Researchers indicate that over 40 percent of U.S. adults are considered obese, yet much of this data originates from studies using body mass index (B.M.I.). While B.M.I. calculates weight in relation to height, it fails to differentiate between excess weight, body fat, muscle, and bone mass.
Last year, an international commission defined ‘clinical obesity’ as a chronic systemic condition. It is characterized by tissue and organ dysfunction due to excess body fat. Dr. Brian P. Lee from Keck Medicine, University of Southern California, co-authored the study aiming to identify individuals classified under this new definition.
Research involved 5,600 adults, utilizing waist measurements and other body sizes alongside B.M.I., as per commission recommendations. It also assessed organ dysfunction and daily physical activity limitations. The crude estimates show that half of U.S. adults considered overweight but not obese by B.M.I. might have ‘clinical obesity.’ Some individuals with normal weight by B.M.I. standards could also be deemed obese.
Dr. Francesco Rubino, chair of the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission on obesity, praised the attempt to gauge the disease’s true prevalence. However, he raised concerns about potential overestimation. The study classified individuals with excess body fat and certain clinical traits, such as liver fibrosis, heart failure, or mobility issues, as having obesity.
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