The body mass index or BMI — a measure of density that determines if someone is overweight or underweight — may be obsolete, researchers says. A new approach may be better. In a recent article for F1000 Biology Reports, Manfred J Müller and colleagues at the University of Kiel in Germany explain how so-called “functional” body composition analysis or BCA measures more of the variables that determine whether or not obesity is benign.

 

Recent studies using similar analysis suggest that up to 30 percent of obese people do not in fact require medical treatment. Widespread adoption of BCA could significantly improve the targeting of limited healthcare resources in one of modern society's global killers.

 

Thanks to advances in imaging technology, variables — such as the body's fat proportion, location, and distribution and the size of fat cells and fat droplets within these cells — can now be factored into the health risk assessment. Coupled with a better understanding of the interrelation between genes, environment, hormone levels, and metabolism, BCA gives clinicians a clearer picture of the specific health risks to an individual.

 

In light of the growing evidence in favor of functional BCA, the authors conclude that, “the definitions of both overweight and malnutrition should be reconsidered” by clinicians and researchers.