Researchers report 'astounding' obesity surge in U.S. - Harvard Gazette

"Investigators from Harvard and Mass General Brigham found that when applying the new criteria, which expand upon the traditional use of body mass index (BMI) to include measures of body fat distribution, the prevalence of obesity increased from about 40 percent to about 70 percent among more than 300,000 people included in the study. The rise was more pronounced among older adults."

"Traditionally, obesity has been defined by BMI, which estimates body fat based on a person's weight and height. But other anthropomorphic measures - such as waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, or waist-to-hip ratio - may further account for fat distribution and aid in differentiation between muscle and fat mass. Under the new framework, a person is classified as having obesity if they have a high BMI plus at least one elevated anthropometric measure"

"The results are published in JAMA Network Open. "We already thought we had an obesity epidemic, but this is astounding," said co-first author Lindsay Fourman, a Mass General endocrinologist and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. "With potentially 70 percent of the adult population now considered to have excess fat, we need to better understand what treatment approaches to prioritize.""

Applying a definition that combines BMI with anthropometric measures increases obesity prevalence from about 40 percent to about 70 percent among over 300,000 adults. The increase is more pronounced in older adults. Newly classified individuals under the expanded criteria show higher risk of adverse health outcomes. Traditional BMI estimates body fat from weight and height, while waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio, and waist-to-hip ratio account for fat distribution and help differentiate muscle from fat mass. The expanded framework classifies obesity as high BMI plus at least one elevated anthropometric measure, or normal BMI with at least two elevated anthropometric measures. Clinical prioritization of treatment approaches is needed given the higher prevalence.

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