Disparity in Adiposity among Adults with Normal Body Mass Index and Waist-to-Height Ratio

There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

Summary

Body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to define obesity. However, concerns about its accuracy in predicting adiposity have been raised. The feasibility of using BMI as well as waist-height ratio (WHtR) in assessing adiposity was examined in relation to a more direct measurement of percent body fat (%BF). We analyzed the relation between dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)-measured fat mass and BMI and WHtR using the US 1999–2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data. A considerable proportion of subjects in the healthy BMI range 20–25 were found to have excess adiposity, including 33.1% of males and 51.9% of females. The use of WHtR also supports the notion of normal-weight central obesity (NWCO), which increases with age. These findings have important implications not only for clinical practice but also for many comparative studies where control subjects are usually selected based on age, sex, and BMI.

Graphical Abstract

Highlights

•

BMI > 30 reliably defines obesity regardless of age and sex
•

People with BMI of 20–25 and WHtR < 0.5 showed age-dependent hidden obesity
•

Subjects with excess body fat and BMI range of 20–25 showed increased WHtR with increased age
•

The present study supports the new notion of normal-weight central obesity

Abstract

Public Health; Nutrition; Obesity Medicine

Related collections

Most cited references 18

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2015-2016.

Craig Hales, Margaret Carroll, Cheryl D Fryar … (2017)

Obesity is associated with serious health risks. Monitoring obesity prevalence is relevant for public health programs that focus on reducing or preventing obesity. Between 2003–2004 and 2013–2014, there were no significant changes in childhood obesity prevalence, but adults showed an increasing trend. This report provides the most recent national estimates from 2015–2016 on obesity prevalence by sex, age, and race and Hispanic origin, and overall estimates from 1999–2000 through 2015–2016.

0 comments Cited 438 times – based on 0 reviews      Review now

Bookmark

Record: found
Abstract: found
Article: not found

The concept of normal weight obesity.

Estefania Oliveros, Virend K Somers, Ondrej Sochor … (2016)

Individuals with normal body weight by body mass index (BMI) and high body fat percentage show a high degree of metabolic dysregulation. This phenomenon, defined as normal weight obesity, is associated with a significantly higher risk of developing metabolic syndrome, cardiometabolic dysfunction and with higher mortality. Recently, we have also shown that coronary artery disease patients with normal BMI and central obesity have the highest mortality risk as compared to other adiposity patterns. Therefore, it is important to recognize these high-risk groups for better adiposity-based risk stratification. There is a need for an updated definition of obesity based on adiposity, not on body weight. © 2014.