Major overhaul of obesity diagnosis proposed

The body mass index (BMI), a measure that dates back to 1832, is not a reliable measure of health or illness and needs to be used along with waist circumference and direct fat measurement to detect obesity, a global commission has recommended in a report published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology on Tuesday.

- Rhythma Kaul

NEW DELHI:

BMI, the commission added, is not a reliable measure, and can lead to misdiagnosis, especially because some people categorized as obese can be healthy. It has also suggested two new obesity diagnostic categories—"clinical obesity" (a chronic disease associated with organ dysfunction due to obesity alone) and "pre-clinical obesity" (associated with a variable level of health risk, but no ongoing illness).