BMI Alone an Inadequate Predictor of Obesity-Related Death

by Ryan Halvorson

Making News:

Body mass index has been widely used to determine level of physical fitness and obesity-related health risk factors. Scientists at the German Institute of Human Nutrition Potsdam-Rehbruecke in Nuthetal, Germany, suggest that BMI alone may not be as reliable an indicator as previously thought.

The scientists studied BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio in relation to the risk of death among 359,387 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer. After 10 years and the deaths of 14,723 participants, the scientists scoured the records to determine which assessment method was more successful at predicting obesity-related death. According to the results, those falling into a healthy weight category, but with larger bellies, had a significantly higher risk of death than their slimmer counterparts. If tested only for BMI, these persons might have been dismissed as not being at risk for obesity-related death. However, upon considering waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, “normal weight” patients might not have been overlooked. “In conclusion, the findings of our study suggest that general and abdominal adiposity are both associated with the risk of death,” stated the authors. “The results support the use of waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio in addition to BMI in the assessment of the risk of death, particularly among persons with a low BMI.”