About 75% Of U.S. Adults Considered To Have Obesity Under New Lancet Commission Criteria

Under a new definition of obesity that goes beyond the body mass index (BMI) criteria to include anthropometric measures, the prevalence of obesity among adults in the United States increases from 39.9% (based on BMI alone) to 75.2%. The new definition was created by The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission.

The new definition of obesity includes:

Elevated BMI plus at least one elevated measure (such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and/or waist-to-height ratio) or BMI greater than 40 kg/m2.

At least two elevated measures (such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio . . .