Under New Definition Of Obesity, 60% More People Are Affected

Under a new definition of obesity that goes beyond the body-mass index (BMI) criteria, 60% more adults are obese. The new definition allows for obesity to be characterized as preclinical or clinical, based on organ dysfunction and/or physical limitation. Based on an analysis of obesity among more than 301,000 individuals, using the BMI criteria, 42.9% had obesity. Using the new definition, 68.6% had obesity.

The new definition of clinical obesity aligns with those who are at the highest long-term risk of incident diabetes, cardiovascular events, and mortality. Those with preclinical obesity have an increased . . .