Real-World Evidence Study Reveals Issues with BMI in Obesity Research
February 27, 2023
Body mass index (BMI) is widely used in research on the effects of obesity on health. A newly published paper in Population Studies found that BMI may not be as useful for population health as once thought, impacting health, based on data from over 18,000 patients. Analysis shows that relying on the figure skewed data and may have increased the perceived risks of being underweight, while downplaying issues tied to being overweight.
According to Emily Henderson, “While numerous studies show that heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes (which are often associated with being overweight) elevate mortality risk, very few have shown that groups with higher BMIs have higher mortality rates. Instead, in what some call the “obesity paradox,” most studies show a U-shaped curve: Those in the “overweight” category (BMI 25–30) surprisingly have the lowest mortality risk. Those in the “obese” category (30–35) have little or no increased risk over the so-called “healthy” category (18.5–25). And both the “underweight” (less than 18.5) and extremely obese (35 and higher) are at increased risk of death.”
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(Source: News-Medical.Net, February 27th, 2023)