Body Mass Index (BMI) News and Research

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Body Mass Index (BMI) is a measure that relates body weight to height. BMI is sometimes used to measure total body fat and whether a person is a healthy weight. Excess body fat is linked to an increased risk of some diseases including heart disease and some cancers.

Study shows antihypertensive drugs do not raise serum levels of ACE2

A new study published on the preprint server medRxiv* by researchers from Iceland and the U.S. shows how treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) does not raise angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) levels in human serum – and cautions against the discontinuation of these drugs among patients affected with coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

26 May 2020

Researchers find a 'skinny' gene

Some people may have trouble losing weight, while others find it hard to gain weight. Now, a team of scientists may have found the answer to why some people remain thin despite eating without restriction.

26 May 2020

Teens develop septic shock due to COVID-19

Since the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), most people who develop severe illness are older adults, those with underlying medical conditions, and those who are immunocompromised. Though children are mostly spared, some adolescents developed septic shock due to COVID-19, a new study has found.

24 May 2020

Substituting sedentary time with sleep or physical activity linked to better mood, lower BMI

Moving more and sitting less was a challenge for many of us, even before states started issuing stay-at-home orders. Despite disruptions to our daily work and exercise routines, there are some subtle changes we can make at home to help improve our mental health.

20 May 2020

Sleep apnea may increase the risk of severe COVID-19, say researchers

An analysis conducted by researchers at the University of Turku and Turku University Hospital in Finland has suggested that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may be a risk factor for severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-2019).

19 May 2020

Asthma linked to longer intubation time in younger COVID-19 patients

New data suggest that asthma is associated with longer time on ventilators for hospitalized younger patients with COVID-19.

18 May 2020

Children who start nurseries at younger age have higher risk of obesity in later life

Children who start childcare such as nurseries or playgroups at a younger age and attend for most of the week are at higher risk for obesity in later life, according to a new study.

14 May 2020

Study provides further insights into the relationship between smoking and COVID-19

A Canadian study available on the preprint server medRxiv* shows that current smokers are slightly more likely than never smokers to test positive for coronavirus disease (COVID-19), but cautions about the possibility of reverse causality where smokers actually quit to avoid the disease.

12 May 2020

Estonians eat less fiber than recommended, study confirms

For normal gut and body function, the diet should contain sufficient amounts of (at least 25 - 35 grams of) various (a variety of )dietary fibers. Fibers are a type of carbohydrates forming a big group of molecules of very different structures and sizes that have different functions in our body.

12 May 2020

Some foods common in diets of adults with inflammatory bowel disease

American researchers from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University have found that certain foods such as cheese, cookies, French fries, energy drinks, soda, and other types of junk foods are found more frequently in the diets of adults suffering from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

7 May 2020

A new method of reducing body weight and fat mass using weighted vests

Scientists from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, have found a new method of reducing human body weight and fat mass using weighted vests.

30 Apr 2020

Adolescent obesity carries higher thrombus risk later in life

Men with a history of obesity in their late teens are, in adult life, more at risk of a blood clot (thrombus) in a leg or lung, according to a study from the University of Gothenburg study shows.

29 Apr 2020

Childhood family environment adversity linked to heart disease in adulthood

Children who experience trauma, abuse, neglect and family dysfunction are at increased risk of having heart disease in their 50s and 60s, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study.

28 Apr 2020

Prenatal exposure to air pollutants is linked with growth delays

Prenatal exposure to air pollution has been linked to various adverse effects on children's health, including lower birth weight and respiratory and neurodevelopmental problems.

23 Apr 2020

Healthy lifestyle, greater disease-free life expectancy

For years, doctors have been advocating a healthy diet, more regular exercise, stress relief, and weight control. However, no study has examined a combination of all these factors with the number of years that one can live free of major chronic disease. This could help communicate the benefits of a healthy lifestyle more convincingly than the commonly reported relative risk of disease with each of these risk factors.

6 Apr 2020

Underweight patients with diabetes in Singapore have increased risk of TB

"Persistent cough in underweight patients with diabetes warrants screening for active tuberculosis." This is the message in the editorial of the December 2019 issue of the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, based on findings from a Singapore-based study that have reported that patients with diabetes and who were also underweight had an eight-fold increase in their risk of contracting active TB, compared to obese individuals without diabetes.

23 Mar 2020

Weight gain could lower woman’s chances of getting breast cancer before menopause

Gaining weight from early adulthood is linked to a lower risk of breast cancer before the menopause, a major global study of more than 600,000 women has found.

11 Mar 2020

Computer program analyzes blood plasma to identify weight gain biomarkers

Researchers at the University of Campinas in São Paulo State, Brazil, have developed a computer program that analyzes molecules in blood plasma to search for biomarkers that identify individuals who are at risk of becoming overweight and developing obesity-related diseases.

10 Mar 2020

Biomarker in saliva linked to emergence of childhood obesity

A molecular marker in saliva is associated with the emergence of childhood obesity in a group of preschool-aged Hispanic children.

7 Mar 2020

Automated CT-based biomarkers can better predict cardiovascular events than standard methods

Researchers at the National Institutes of Health and the University of Wisconsin have demonstrated that using artificial intelligence to analyze CT scans can produce more accurate risk assessment for major cardiovascular events than current, standard methods such as the Framingham risk score and body-mass index.

5 Mar 2020