The research, which analyzed data from over 844,000 adults from China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Spain, highlights that BMI can lead to both underdiagnosis and overdiagnosis of obesity. According to the results, between 5.2% and 8.6% of individuals classified as overweight by BMI had body measurements indicative of obesity, while 1.2% to 3.1% classified as obese by BMI did not meet these criteria.
In the Catalan cohort from the Information System for Research Development in Primary Care (SIDIAP), including 51,269 participants, the estimated prevalence of obesity increases from 18.7% to 26.1% when combined criteria are applied. This underscores the importance of using other anthropometric indicators, such as waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio, to assess excess body fat.
The study also validates the distinction between clinical and preclinical obesity. Clinical obesity, associated with organ dysfunction, increases the risk of all-cause mortality by 69% compared to the reference group. In preclinical obesity, the increase is 19%, and most cases do not progress to clinical obesity within ten years, highlighting the need for individualized approaches.
Dr. Fernández-Real, head of the Nutrition, Eumetabolism, and Health research group at IDIBGI, notes that the study helps understand when excess body fat truly affects health, allowing for the identification of individuals needing priority medical attention.
Dr. Ramos, a researcher at IDIBGI and IDIAPJGol, emphasizes that the classification between clinical and preclinical obesity should guide individualized care, tailored to progression risk and patient needs, without delaying interventions.
