Body fat percentage is a much more reliable indicator of an individual’s general health than BMI, a new study has concluded.
Worldwide, the prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has been increasing dramatically. Being overweight or obese can increase the risk for noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (mainly heart disease and stroke), musculoskeletal disorders, and some cancers. Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to assess body fat, and it is considered a standard indicator of an individual’s general health [Divide your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters (kg/m2), and you get your BMI]. However, a new study from Israel has concluded that body fat percentage is a much more reliable indicator of an individual’s overall health than the BMI index.
You can have a normal weight and still be obese. That’s right. Based on body fat percentage, the study estimated that one third of normal-weight individuals are obese. The findings by researchers from the School of Public Health at TAU’s Faculty of Medicine were published in Frontiers in Nutrition.
Prof. Yftach Gepner, who led the study with PhD student Yair Lahav, maintained that the body’s fat content is the actual measure for obesity. Higher than 25% of body fat is defined as obesity for men and above 35% for women.
Prevalence of obesity with normal weight
The researchers examined the prevalence of obesity with normal weight (having excess fat content despite their normal weight) in Israel’s adult population.
They analyzed the anthropometric data of 3,000 Israeli women and men. Around 1,000 participants (one third) were found to be within the normal weight range. Of these, nearly 40 per cent of the women and over 26 of the men were identified as obese with normal weight.
Additionally, the study found ‘obesity with normal weight’ associated with high levels of sugar, fat, and cholesterol, which are the major risk factors for a range of cardiometabolic diseases.
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What turned out to be more surprising is that many men and women who were identified as overweight were found to have a normal body fat percentage.
Excessive body fat and cardiometabolic diseases
Higher fat content or obesity can increase the risk of potentially life-threatening cardiometabolic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, fatty liver, and kidney dysfunction.
Based on their findings, the researchers suggested that body fat percentage should become the gold standard for assessing overall health. They also recommended all clinics should be equipped with suitable devices for measuring body fat content.
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