For decades, body mass index (BMI) has been the go-to number that doctors use to determine whether a person is underweight or “normal.” overweight or obese.
But a new global study suggests that even if you have a normal BMI and look thin in your clothes, you may still meet the medical definition of obesity.
Large-scale study published in JAMA Network Open based on World Health Organization (WHO) survey data health data From over 471,000 adults from 91 countries.
Researchers say being ‘fat but healthy’ may be less deadly than being underweight
Researchers looked at people whose BMI was within the normal range (18.5 to 24.9) but who had excess fat around their midsections, as measured by waist circumference.
The results showed that about one in five people with a normal BMI had abdominal obesity, a condition in which a large waistline is associated with serious health risks.
These so-called “skinny and overweight” people aren’t necessarily healthy just because the scale says they are.
Compared to people with a normal BMI and small waist, people with abdominal fat were 29% more likely to: high blood pressure 81% more likely to have diabetes. They were also significantly more likely to have unhealthy cholesterol and triglyceride levels.
In other words, their metabolism was similar to that of obese people, even though their weight was not.
The findings appear to highlight a blind spot in how obesity is measured. BMI only takes into account your weight and height, but it says nothing about where your fat is stored.
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Fat that resides deep in the abdomen and surrounds vital organs is particularly dangerous, promoting inflammation, insulin resistance, and inflammation. cardiovascular problemsaccording to experts. People can be “thin on the outside but fat on the inside,” which researchers call TOFI.
Lifestyle also plays a role, the researchers noted. People with normal BMI and abdominal fat are more likely to be inactive and eat less fruits and vegetables They have desk jobs and are unemployed.
Because they have less muscle and less exercise, they tend to accumulate visceral fat even if their overall body weight does not increase much.
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The latest research suggests that your waist size may be just as important to track as your weight.
For most adults, a waist of more than about 32 inches for women and 37 inches for men indicates excess abdominal fat and increased health risks.
The researchers noted several limitations. Because this study is cross-sectional, it cannot prove causation, only an association.
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Additionally, the data were collected from many countries and time periods, which may underrepresent high-income countries and affect how broadly the results apply.
The study did not include actual body fat scans and was instead based on people’s own reports. their habitsResults may be less reliable. However, WHO survey methods are generally well-validated.
