The Body Mass Index (BMI) may not be the most accurate predictor of death risk.
A new study from the University of Florida found that the BMI, a measure that is commonly used to determine if the weight of a person is in a healthy range by its height, is “deeply defective” in terms of mortality prediction.
Instead, the level of body fat is “much more accurate”, concluded the study, which was published this week in The Anals of Family Medicine.
To measure the body fat of participants, researchers used a method called Bioelectric Analysis of the IMPEDITY (BIA), which uses a device to measure body tissue resistance to a small electric current.
For a period of 15 years, it was found that those with body fat were 78% more likely to die than those with healthy body fat levels, according to researchers.
They were also more than three times more likely to die of heart disease, the study said.
The BMI, which is calculated by dividing the weight by the height, was described as “completely unreliable” to predict the risk of death for a period of 15 years for any cause.
The study included 4,252 people in the United States and drawn data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The BMI should not be trusted as a “vital sign” of health, according to senior author Frank Orlando, MD, medical director of UF Health Family Medicine in Springhill.
“I am a family doctor and, on a regular basis, we are facing patients who have diabetes, heart disease, obesity and other obesity affections,” Orlando said in a statement.
“One of the routine measures we take alongside traditional vital signs is the BMI. We use BMI to analyze a person who has a problem with his body composition, but it is not as accurate for everyone as the vital signs are.”
The BMI has been the international standard for measuring obesity since the 1980’s, according to many sources, although some experts have called into question their validity.
An individual is considered obese if their BMI is 30 or more, overweight if it is between 25 and 29.9, “normal” weight in a rank of 18.5 to 24.9, or less weight, if it is less than 18.5.
Although the BMI is easy to calculate, one of its main limitations is that it cannot distinguish between muscle mass and fat, researchers pointed out.
“For example, people who are bodybuilders can really raise their body mass rate,” Orlando said. “But they are healthy even with an BMI that indicates that they are obese.”
“The BMI is so deeply rooted in the way of thinking about body fat,” added Arch Mainus, doctor, professor and Vice President of Research in the Department of Health and Medicine of the Family Family of the University of Florida. “I think the study shows that it is time to go to an alternative that is now proved to be much better at work.”
The other methods, such as a dexa exploration (double -energy X -ray absorptiometry), can be even more accurate than BIA, but they are much more expensive and not so accessible, the researchers said.
“If you talk to obesity researchers, they will say that you have to use the dexa scan because it is the most accurate,” Mainus said in the statement. “And that’s true.
Dr. Stephen Vogel, a family medicine doctor with Plushcare, a virtual health platform with primary care, therapy and weight management options, echoed the BMI limitations.
“It has been an easy measuring tool that helps us to understand at risk groups of various populations and demographics, but does not provide patient to patient’s accurate data,” said North Carolina doctor, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“These findings do not challenge the assumptions about BMI; they reinforce the message that new standards, delivered in a coherent and low cost, would provide a better nuance for the individual when it comes to their general physical health.”
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Potential limitations
“The main strengths of this study are a better correlation with the risk of morbidity and mortality of an individual; but limitations are in the fact that we do not have enough data to determine the appropriate cut for these numbers or to identify the appropriate tools that will be accurate and precise to the entire population,” said Vogel.
The researchers also acknowledged that the percentage thresholds of body fat have not yet been as standardized as the BMI and the circumference of the waist.
Also, the age range of the participants in the study was limited by the data source.
“Future studies should extend this body fat comparison to BMI in greater adults,” the researchers wrote.
The study was also limited by focusing only on mortality as a result, noted, without taking into account any developing disease (such as heart failure or cancer) that could deepen the understanding of body fat as a risk factor.
The goal, according to Vogel, is to have a consistent and profitable method that can be used in the entire population with reliable precision.
“This data will promote better discussions to the doctor, as well as public health initiatives with the aim of improving everyone’s health.”
“The benefits would form a more detailed list of information that helps suppliers and patients to make informed decisions on the patient’s health, which is ideal,” said Vogel.
“I hope that there is enough buzz around these measures that will continue to take steps towards regular implementation.”
Researchers hope that, once the standards have been validated, to measure the percentage of body fats with the analysis of the bioelectric impedance could be a level of attention.
They added: “These data will promote better discussions in the doctor’s office, as well as public health initiatives with the aim of improving everyone’s health.”
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