CNN – For years, medical experts have defined obesity primarily based on body mass index, which measures stored fat by calculating height and weight, to determine a person’s health risks.
Major public health organizations, including the World Health Organization and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, define adult obesity as a BMI of 30 or greater and overweight as a BMI between 25 and 29.9.
Recently, an international commission proposed a revised definition of obesity that focuses on how excess body fat affects the body, and factors in waist circumference, rather than simply calculating BMI.
This new definition, published January 14 in the journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, could shift the paradigm of clinical care for the 890 million adults worldwide who are currently considered to have obesity.
What is BMI, and what have been criticisms of its usage? How is the new definition different? In what ways could it change clinical care? Will these changes be forthcoming?
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And while revisions are being considered, what should people consider asking their health care providers?
To help answer these questions, I spoke with CNN wellness expert Dr. Leana Wen. Wen is an emergency physician and adjunct associate professor at George Washington University. She previously was Baltimore’s health commissioner.
CNN: What is BMI? What are the advantages and criticisms of its usage?
Dr. Leana Wen: Body mass index, or BMI, is a calculation performed by dividing a patient’s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared.
For those who are more used to weight in pounds and height in feet and inches, there are a number of online calculators. You can input weight and height and obtain an individual’s BMI.
The main advantage of BMI is ease of calculation. All you need to know someone’s BMI is a scale and ruler …
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