Latest news with #BodyMassIndex
Time of India
29 minutes ago
- Health
- Time of India
All adults of one in five households in India are overweight, reveals new study
An alarming new study has found that all adults in two out of 10 households are either overweight or obese. Overweight is defined as a body weight higher than what is considered healthy for a given height, commonly assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI). A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2. On the other hand, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or greater. The study was conducted by researchers from ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), TERI School of Advanced Studies and Symbiosis International analysed data from the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21) to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in over 6 lakh households. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo The results found that nearly 20 per cent of the households had all adult members classified as overweight while 10 per cent of households had all adults classified as obese. Further, the number went higher up in states like Manipur, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, where over 30 per cent of households had all adults overweight, according to the study, which was published in Public Health Journal. In Tamil Nadu and Punjab, 4o per cent households had all adults classified as obese. Live Events The proportion of households with all obese members was nearly twice as high in urban areas compared to rural regions. The study mentions that families are 'gaining weight together'. It reveals that if one family member is overweight or obese, others are significantly more likely to be obese/overweight as well. "This clustering pattern underscores the urgent need for family-centred approaches to obesity prevention rather than individual-focused interventions," lead researcher from ICMR-NICPR Prashant Kumar Singh. Director ICMR-NICPR Shalini Singh, said, "The household clustering of obesity and overweight represents a paradigm shift in how we understand obesity. This study tells us the family unit is the epicentre of this health challenge." The study warned that individuals in these family obesity clusters face heightened risk of developing multiple non-communicable diseases. It is already known that obesity serves as a marker for poor cardio-metabolic health and is known to be a gateway to numerous chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart failure. It is also linked to 13 types of cancer.
Time of India
13 hours ago
- Health
- Time of India
All adults overweight in every 5th Indian household: Study
Danny generated AI Image NEW DELHI: In nearly two out of 10 households, all adults are either overweight or obese, a new study has found. Overweight is defined as a body weight higher than what is considered healthy for a given height, commonly assessed using Body Mass Index (BMI). A person is considered overweight if his or her BMI is between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2. On the other hand, obesity is defined as a BMI of 30.0 kg/m2 or greater. Researchers from ICMR-National Institute for Cancer Prevention and Research (NICPR), TERI School of Advanced Studies and Symbiosis International analysed data from the fifth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21) to assess the prevalence of overweight and obesity in over 6 lakh households. They found nearly 20% of the households had all adult members classified as overweight while 10% of households had all adults classified as obese. In states such as Manipur, Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim, over 30% of households had all adults overweight, according to the study, which was published in Public Health Journal. In Tamil Nadu and Punjab, two out of five households had all adults classified as obese. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 2025 Top Trending Local Enterprise Accounting Software [Click Here] Accounting ERP Click Here Undo The proportion of households with all obese members was nearly twice as high in urban areas compared to rural regions. A weighty issue The study reveals that families are literally 'gaining weight together'. When one family member is overweight or obese, others are significantly more likely to be obese/overweight as well, said the lead researcher from ICMR-NICPR Prashant Kumar Singh. "This clustering pattern underscores the urgent need for family-centred approaches to obesity prevention rather than individual-focused interventions." Director ICMR-NICPR Shalini Singh, said, "The household clustering of obesity and overweight represents a paradigm shift in how we understand obesity. This study tells us the family unit is the epicentre of this health challenge." The study warned that individuals in these family obesity clusters face heightened risk of developing multiple non-communicable diseases. It is already known that obesity serves as a marker for poor cardio-metabolic health and is known to be a gateway to numerous chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart failure. It is also linked to 13 types of cancer.
NDTV
16 hours ago
- Health
- NDTV
Belly Fat Linked To Higher Risk of Psoriasis, Says Major Study
A new study has revealed that excess belly fat may do more harm than just affect appearance-it could significantly raise the risk of developing psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory skin condition. Researchers from King's College London analysed data from over 330,000 individuals in the UK and found a strong link between abdominal fat and psoriasis. Published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology, the study evaluated 25 different fat-related body measurements. Those tied to belly fat, such as waist-to-hip ratio, abdominal fat ratio, waist circumference, and total abdominal fat tissue, showed the strongest associations with psoriasis. Surprisingly, traditional indicators like Body Mass Index (BMI) were found to be less accurate in predicting this risk. Experts believe the study highlights the need for more targeted health evaluations beyond BMI, especially as belly fat becomes an increasing concern in public health. Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin condition that can have a significant impact on quality of life. Many individuals with psoriasis also have elevated levels of body fat. While it is well established that increasing levels of body fat raise the risk of developing psoriasis, the impact of specific fat distribution and genetics remains unclear. Researchers of the current study analysed data from over 330,000 participants with White British ancestry in the UK Biobank, including more than 9,000 people with psoriasis. They examined 25 different measures of body fat using both traditional methods and advanced imaging techniques, assessing how each was associated with psoriasis. Lead investigator Ravi Ramessur, MD, St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London, explains in a statement, "Our research shows that where fat is stored in the body matters when it comes to psoriasis risk. Central fat - especially around the waist - seems to play a key role. This has important implications for how we identify individuals who may be more likely to develop psoriasis or experience more severe disease and how we approach prevention and treatment strategies." Catherine H. Smith, MD, also at St John's Institute of Dermatology, King's College London, and senior author, adds, "As rates of obesity continue to rise globally, understanding how different patterns of body fat influence chronic inflammatory conditions such as psoriasis is important. Our findings suggest that central body fat contributes to psoriasis risk irrespective of genetic predisposition and reinforces the importance of measuring waist circumference and proactive healthy weight strategies in psoriasis care." Because this study only included individuals of White British ancestry from the UK Biobank, the generalisability of these findings to more diverse populations may be limited. Future studies incorporating datasets with dermatologist-confirmed diagnoses and broader ethnic representation will be important to further validate these associations and refine risk stratification approaches. Dr Ramessur notes, "We were surprised by how consistently strong the association was across different central fat measures and how much stronger the effect was in women. The observed links between central body fat and psoriasis suggest that there may be underlying biological mechanisms contributing to the disease that are not yet fully understood and which warrant further investigation."
Daily Maverick
6 days ago
- Health
- Daily Maverick
The way we understand obesity is changing — What does it mean for SA?
Health workers have long relied on Body Mass Index to gauge whether people are within a healthy weight range. Now, top researchers have made the case for a new way to understand and diagnose obesity. In part two of this special Spotlight series, we take a look at what this new framing might mean for South Africa. If we are going to tackle the global rise in obesity, our understanding of the condition needs to change. That is according to a Lancet Commission convened by a global group of 58 experts from different medical specialties. While we have historically thought of obesity as a risk factor for other diseases such as diabetes, the commission's recent report published in the journal Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology concludes that obesity is sometimes better thought of as a disease itself – one that can directly cause severe health symptoms (see part one of this series for a detailed discussion of this argument). By categorising obesity as a disease, public health systems and medical aid schemes around the world would be more likely to cover people for weight-loss drugs or weight-loss surgery, according to the report. At present, these services are often only financed if a patient's obesity has already led to other diseases. This is given that obesity is not viewed as a stand-alone chronic illness. But if we're going to redefine obesity as a disease, or at least some forms of it, then we need good clinical definitions and ways to measure it. For a long time, this has posed challenges, according to the Lancet report. The perils of BMI At present, health workers often rely on Body Mass Index (BMI) to gauge whether a patient is within a healthy weight range. BMI is measured by taking a person's weight in kilograms and dividing it by their height in metres squared. A healthy weight is typically considered to be between 18.5 and 25. A person whose BMI is between 25 and 30 is considered to be overweight, while someone with a BMI of over 30 is considered to have obesity. But according to the Lancet report, this is a crude measure, and one which provides very little information about whether a person is actually ill. One basic issue is that a person can have a high BMI even if they don't have a lot of excess fat. Instead, they may simply have a lot of muscle or bone. Indeed, the report notes that some athletes are in the obese BMI range. Even when a high BMI does indicate that a person has obesity, it still doesn't tell us where a person's fat is stored and this is vital medical information. If excess fat is stored in the stomach and chest, then it poses more severe health risks than when it is stored in the limbs or thighs. This is because excess fat will do more harm if it surrounds vital organs. The lead author of the Lancet report, Professor Frances Rubino, says the pitfalls of BMI have long been understood, but practitioners have continued to use it. 'BMI is still by and large the most used approach everywhere, even though medical organisations have [raised issues] for quite some time,' he tells Spotlight. 'The problem is that even when we as individuals or organisations say BMI is no good, we haven't provided an alternative. And so, inevitably, the ease of calculating BMI and the uncertainties about alternatives makes you default back to BMI.' To deal with this problem, the report advocates for several alternative techniques for measuring obesity which offer more precision. The first option is to use tools that directly measure body composition such as a DEXA scanner. This is a sophisticated x-ray machine which can be used to distinguish between fat, bone and muscle. It can also be used to determine where fat is concentrated. It's thus a very precise measurement tool, but the machines are expensive, and the scans can be time-consuming. Alternatively, the report recommends using BMI in combination with another measure like waist-to-hip ratio, waist-to-height ratio or simply waist circumference. If two of these alternative measures are used, then BMI can be removed from the picture. These additional metrics are clinically useful because they provide information about where fat is stored. For instance, a larger waistline inevitably indicates a larger stomach. Indeed, studies have found that above a certain level, a larger waist circumference is linked to a higher chance of dying early, even when looking at people with the same BMI. The report thus offers a more accurate way to measure obesity in the clinical setting. But its authors argue that this is only the first step when making a diagnosis. The second is to look at whether a patient's obesity has actually caused health problems as this isn't automatically the case. They acknowledge for instance that there are some people with obesity who 'appear to be able to live a relatively healthy life for many years, or even a lifetime'. The report refers to these cases as 'preclinical obesity'. Such patients don't have a disease as such, according to the report, but still have an increased risk of facing health issues in the future. As such, the report's authors argue that they should be monitored and sometimes even treated, depending on factors like family history. By contrast, cases of obesity which have directly caused health problems are referred to as 'clinical obesity'. These cases, according to the report, should be treated immediately just like any other serious disease. It lists a series of medical symptoms associated with clinical obesity that would allow health workers to make an appropriate diagnosis. The recommendation is thus for health workers to determine whether a person has obesity through the metrics listed above, and then to determine whether it is clinical or preclinical by evaluating a patient's symptoms. This will inevitably guide the treatment plan. How does this relate to SA? Professor Francois Venter, who runs the Ezintsha research centre at Wits university, says the Lancet report offers a good starting point for South Africa, but it has to be adapted for our own needs and context. 'It's a big step forward from BMI, which grossly underdiagnoses and overdiagnoses obesity,' says Venter, who adds that additional metrics like waist circumference are a 'welcome addition'. The view that clinical obesity is a disease that needs to be immediately treated is also correct, according to Venter. Though he adds that the public health system in South Africa is not in a financial position to start handing out weight-loss medicine to everyone who needs it. 'The drugs are hugely expensive,' says Venter, 'and they have side effects, so you need a lot of resources to support people taking them.' But while it may not yet be feasible to treat all cases of clinical obesity in South Africa, Venter believes we should use the diagnostic model offered by the Lancet Commission to begin identifying at least some people with clinical obesity so that they can begin treatment. 'You have to start somewhere, and for that, you need a good staging system,' he says. 'Let's use the Lancet Commission and start to see if we can identify a few priority people and screen them and start to work on the drug delivery system.' Yet while Venter believes that the commission makes important contributions, he also cautions that we need more data on obesity in Africa before we can apply all of its conclusions to our own context. 'If you go to the supplement of the Lancet Commission, there's not a single African study there. It all comes from Europe, North America and Asia. It's not the commission's fault but [there is a lack of data on Africa].' This is important as findings that apply to European or Asian populations may not necessarily hold for others. Consider the following case. As noted, the commission states that BMI is not sufficient to determine whether someone is overweight and must therefore be complemented with other measures. But it states that if someone's BMI is above 40 (way above the current threshold for obesity), then this can 'pragmatically be assumed' without the need for further measures. But this may not hold in Africa, says Venter. 'The commission says that if your BMI is over 40, which is very big, you can infer that this person has got obesity, and they are sick and need to lose weight. I don't know if we can say that in Africa, where we often have patients who are huge, and yet they are very active, and when you [look at] their blood pressure and all their metabolics, they're actually pretty healthy,' he notes. 'So, I think they're sometimes jumping to conclusions about African populations that we don't have data on,' adds Venter. Is South Africa ready to move past BMI? Another concern is that while the Lancet Commission may offer useful recommendations for advanced economies, its starting assumptions may not be as relevant for countries like South Africa. For instance, while specialists agree that BMI is a crude measure of obesity, direct measures like DEXA scans are 'out of our reach economically', according to Professor Susan Goldstein, who leads Priceless-SA, a health economics unit at the South African Medical Research Council. And while supplementing BMI with the other metrics such as waist circumference may be doable, health experts told Spotlight that at present healthcare workers in South Africa aren't even measuring BMI alone. Dr Yogan Pillay, a former deputy director-general at the national health department who now runs TB and HIV delivery at the Gates Foundation, told Spotlight: 'I can't tell you how few people in the public sector have their BMI monitored at all. Community health workers are supposed to be going out and measuring BMI, but even that's not happening'. Goldstein also suggests that the monitoring of BMI in South Africa is limited. 'If you go into the clinic for your blood pressure, do they say: 'How's your BMI?' No, I doubt that,' says Goldstein. 'It's just not one of the measures that [gets done].' She adds that South Africa could introduce the combination of metrics proposed by the commission, like waist circumference combined with BMI, but says it would simply require 'a lot of re-education of health workers'. Prevention vs treatment For Goldstein, the commission is correct to regard clinical obesity as a disease which needs to be treated, but we also shouldn't view medication as the only way forward. 'We have to remember that prevention is very important,' says Goldstein. 'We have to focus on food control, we have to look at ultra-processed foods, and unless we do that as well [in addition to medication] we are going to lose this battle.' The National Health Department already has a strategy document for preventing obesity, but some of its recommendations have been critiqued for focusing on the wrong problems. For instance, to prevent childhood obesity, the strategy document recommends reforming the Life Orientation curriculum and educating tuckshop vendors so that both students and food sellers have more information about healthy eating. But as Spotlight previously reported, there are no recommendations to subsidise healthy foods or to increase their availability in poor areas, which several experts believe is more important than educational initiatives. Venter also highlights the importance of obesity prevention, though he emphasises that this shouldn't be in conflict with a treatment approach – instead, we need to push for both. 'The [prevention] we need to do is fix the food supply… and the only way you do that is to decrease the cost of unprocessed food.' But while this may help prevent future cases of obesity, it doesn't help people who are already suffering from obesity, says Venter. And since such people comprise such a large share of the population, we can't simply ignore them, he says. 'Even if you fix the entire food industry tomorrow, those [people who are already obese] are going to remain where they are because simply changing your diet isn't going to do diddly squat [when you already have obesity],' he adds. (Part 1 discusses this in more detail). Goldstein adds that increasing access to treatment would also inevitably reduce the costs of 'hypertension, diabetes, osteoarthritis, and a whole range of other illnesses if it's properly managed'. One way to advance access to medication would be for the government to negotiate reduced prices of GLP-1 drugs, she says. (Spotlight previously reported on the prices and availability of these medicines in South Africa here.) Funding A final concern that has been raised about the commission is about its source of funding. 'I don't know how one gets around this,' says Goldstein, 'but there were 58 experts on the commission, 47 declared conflicts of interest.' Indeed, the section of the commission that lists conflicts of interest spans more than 2,000 words (roughly the size of this article). This includes research grants and consulting fees from companies like Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly, which produce anti-obesity drugs. In response, Rubino told Spotlight that 'people who work in the medical profession obviously work and consult, and the more expertise they have, the more likely they are to be asked by somebody to advise. So sometimes people have contracts to consult a company – but that doesn't mean that they necessarily make revenue if the company has better sales. You get paid fees for your services as a consultant.' Rubino says this still has to be declared as it may result in some bias, even if it is unconscious, but 'if you wanted to have experts who had zero relationship [to companies] of any sort then you might have to wonder if there is expertise available there… the nature of any medical professional is that the more expertise they have, the more likely that they have engaged in work with multiple stakeholders'. For Venter, there is some truth to this. 'It's very difficult to find people in the obesity field that aren't sponsored by a drug company,' he says. 'Governments don't fund research… and everyone else doesn't fund research. Researchers go where the research is funded.' This doesn't actually solve the problem, says Venter, as financing from drug companies can always influence the conclusions of researchers. It simply suggests that the problem is bigger than the commission. Ultimately, he argues that the authors should at least be applauded for providing such granular details about conflicts of interest. Rubino adds that while researchers on the commission may have historically received money from drug companies for separate research studies or consulting activities, none of them received money for their work on the commission itself. 'This commission has been working for more than four years since conception… An estimate of how many meetings we had is north of 700, and none of us have received a single penny [for doing this],' he says. DM
Jordan News
11-06-2025
- Health
- Jordan News
Discover the Ideal Weight for More Attractive Facial Features - Jordan News
Discover the Ideal Weight for More Attractive Facial Features American plastic surgeon Dr. Leonard Grossman suggests that human faces are generally perceived as more attractive when the Body Mass Index (BMI) falls within the normal range of 18.5 to 24.9. اضافة اعلان According to Dr. Grossman, genetics play a key role in determining facial shape and structure, both of which can naturally change with age. In younger individuals — even those with normal weight or slightly overweight — "baby fat" often accumulates in the cheeks. As people grow older, this fat tends to diminish, leading to more defined facial features. However, Dr. Grossman cautions against cheek fat removal procedures, despite their growing popularity. 'What may seem excessive now often disappears on its own with age,' he says. He stresses that facial attractiveness isn't linearly linked to fat volume: both an excess and a deficiency of facial fat can lead to health concerns and disrupt facial harmony. An international study found that the most attractive faces tend to have an ideal layer of facial fat, which aligns with a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9. This was supported by research from Australia, South Africa, and Malaysia, showing that a healthy amount of facial fat is tied to this BMI range. The study also notes that perceptions of beauty are influenced by familiarity: people tend to find faces more attractive when they possess common or frequently seen features — a phenomenon known as the "mere exposure effect." For reference, BMI is a simple anthropometric formula used to assess the relationship between body weight and height. According to the World Health Organization, a BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is considered within the normal and healthy range. Source:
