Can you have excess weight and health both? Many people say no. In fact, fatphobic bullying is often hidden behind supposed concerns about the health of obese people. But what if obesity wasn’t synonymous with being fat? What if we put the focus in the wrong place? This is what a group of experts suggests, who analyzed the best way determine obesity beyond the current golden rule based on body mass index.
The results of these scientists have just been published in Lancetin a study in which they point out what the factors actually should be to help determine whether a person is obese. They explain that the criterion for body mass index is outdated and, in addition, it can lead to improper treatment.
An interesting fact is that this group, led by King’s College Londonconsists of experts in nutrition and endocrinologysome of whom have experienced obesity in their own bodies. Therefore, they are more than competent to decide which criteria are most appropriate to define it.
Goodbye body mass index
Body mass index (BMI) is obtained by dividing weight in kilograms by the square of height in meters. If the result more than 30This is directly considered obesity.
What happens if a person has a very large amount of muscle mass? a lot of exercises? Or if bone density person is particularly tall? And if not, what happens to a person who has a lot of mass due to abdominal fat, but is very tall? When divided by very high altitudes, BMI decreases.
For all this, the Lancet Diabetological and Endocrinological Commission for the Definition and Diagnosis of Clinical Obesity was created. Participation in this commission 56 experts who, starting in 2022, are working to create more suitable criteria for defining obesity.
Finally, they came to the conclusion that there should be especially three of these criteria: the proportion of mass in the form thick, location about this and existence associated diseases. The importance of the location is that when it focuses on the abdomen and surrounds certain vital organs, they can release harmful substances that can gradually cause health problems.
Taking this into account, they also established two types of obesity, known as clinical obesity and preclinical obesity. Depending on which one each person has, they should undergo different treatments. Care will be much more personalized and will not focus solely on weight. Because no, it is becoming increasingly clear that kilograms more They are much less important than we used to think.
Two types of obesity
According to the criteria of these scientists, a person with clinical obesity has difficulty performing his daily activities and, in addition, certain health problems associated with excess weight. Obesity, as we have seen, is not identified by BMI, but, for example, by measuring the contour of the abdomen to determine abdominal fat, or by analyzing the proportion of body fat.
They set 18 health criteria for adults and 13 for children and adolescents.. Of all these, the most important are difficulty breathing, heart failure, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease and bone problems.
These people should receive treatment for these symptoms, but they should also receive nutrition education to improve their diet if necessary and encourage more physical activity. Additionally, you may need to schedule medicines to reduce appetite or resort to bariatric surgery to reduce the stomach.
In the case of preclinical obesity, none of these problems have yet manifested themselves. However, there may be signs of an increased risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes. For example, more insulin resistance. In these cases, sometimes a small change in habits may be enough. No medications or strict dietary intervention are required.
In short, we should not focus on weight, but on the effects that weight can have.
Obesity does not increase the risk of premature death
This research Lancet It was published several months after another group of scientists published the most comprehensive review of the scientific literature on the relationship between obesity and premature death. This review analyzed 20 studies published between 1980 and 2023 that included data 398,716 people.
Combining the data from all these studies, it was found that the risk of premature death in obese people (BMI>30) who were in good physical shape was the same as in those who were in good physical condition. weight is considered normal. In fact, being obese and being physically fit was associated with living longer than living a healthy lifestyle at a normal weight.
There are people who, due to genetic factors, stress or suffering from certain diseases, They cannot lose weight easily. Even through exercise. However, this exercise did not go unnoticed. Health benefits may be felt even if weight loss is not achieved. Even if the fat level is not optimal.
So it doesn’t matter that your weight is great based on your BMI. If you criticize someone’s weight from the comfort of your couch and haven’t been keeping up with exercise in years, you may have your biggest problem yet. Run, you still have time to take care of your health and stop pestering others.
Source: Hiper Textual
