Body Mass Index (BMI) News and Research

RSS

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 defies decades-old patient eligibility guidelines for bariatric surgery

Weight-loss surgery has long been shown to improve or resolve diabetes, reduce heart attacks and stroke and produce significant weight loss, but the operation has generally been restricted by health insurers to people with severe obesity, which means about 75 to 100 pounds overweight or a body mass index (BMI) of 35 or higher.

5 Nov 2019

Large waist circumference may be a risk factor for obesity-related dementia

A new study has shown that that visceral obesity may be associated with an increased risk for dementia among older individuals.

5 Nov 2019

Bariatric surgery may cut genetic risk for developing breast cancer

Women with a genetic predisposition for breast cancer were 2.5 times more likely to develop a malignancy than women with the same genetic risk who underwent bariatric or weight-loss surgery, according to a new study presented today by Cleveland Clinic Florida researchers at the 36th American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek 2019.

5 Nov 2019

Metabolic surgery patients two times less likely to have recurrent and fatal heart attacks

Metabolic surgery patients with a history of coronary artery disease were about two times less likely to have a recurrent and fatal heart attack or develop systolic heart failure compared to closely matched patients who did not have the surgery, according to a new study from Cleveland Clinic Florida researchers who presented their findings today at the 36th American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek 2019.

5 Nov 2019

Cancer risk reduces to half with over 20% weight loss in post- bariatric surgery patients

Patients with severe obesity who had bariatric or weight-loss surgery and lost more than 20% of their total weight were 50% less likely to develop cancer compared to patients who did not have as much weight loss after surgery, according to a new study presented today by Oregon Health & Science University researchers at the 36th American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Annual Meeting at ObesityWeek 2019.

5 Nov 2019

High waist circumference linked to increased obesity-related dementia risk

Waist circumference is a more accurate indicator of abdominal visceral fat level than body mass index in the elderly, according to a report published in Obesity, the flagship journal of The Obesity Society.

5 Nov 2019

Higher number of live births associated with poorer cardiovascular health

Using medical record and survey data collected from more than 3,400 women, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have added to evidence that women who have given birth five or more times were more likely than those who had fewer births to have more risk factors for heart disease, including obesity, high blood pressure and inadequate physical activity.

4 Nov 2019

Bariatric surgery is safe and beneficial for teenagers with morbid obesity

Bariatric surgery is safe and, in many cases, beneficial for teenagers with morbid obesity who would otherwise face a heightened risk of developing severe health problems, including heart disease and stroke, according to a new study from Penn Medicine and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

25 Oct 2019

Anorexia rates rising in younger children

Increasing numbers of young children in the UK and Ireland just might be developing anorexia nervosa, a dangerous eating disorder. A new study published online in the journal BMJ Open shows that the number of 8-12 year olds with this condition is now two times as high as in 2006, when it was 1.5/100,000.

23 Oct 2019

Being obese may lead to fat accumulation in the lungs

Obesity is a growing health concern among children and adults across the globe. In the 2016 figures from the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.9 billion adults are overweight worldwide, and of these, over 650 million were obese.

17 Oct 2019

Lack of physician training about eating disorders leading to avoidable deaths

A recent article in the British Medical Journal highlighted a United Kingdom parliamentary report indicating that avoidable deaths are occurring due to lack of physician training about eating disorders in the National Health System.

17 Oct 2019

Study reveals factors that predict obesity by adolescence

Three simple factors that predict whether a healthy weight child will be overweight or obese by adolescence have been revealed in a new study led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute.

16 Oct 2019

Committee calls for cheese products to display warning about breast cancer

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine has called for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to push for cheese manufacturers to place breast cancer warning labels on their products.

14 Oct 2019

Adult severe obesity risk rates vary by sex, race and other childhood factors

Severe adult obesity carries many risks to health, but until now, little has been known about childhood risk factors involved. Now, a multi-national study led by experts at Cincinnati Children's shows how adult severe obesity risk rates vary by sex, race and other factors identifiable in childhood.

9 Oct 2019

Asthma may protect against obesity in African American teens living in disadvantaged neighborhoods

A first-of-its-kind study led by researchers at LSU Health New Orleans Schools of Public Health and Medicine found that asthma may protect against obesity among African American female adolescents living in disadvantaged neighborhoods.

2 Oct 2019

Study: Majority of overweight or obese patients happy with abdominoplasty

Tummy tuck surgery (abdominoplasty) yields high patient satisfaction and improved quality of life in patients who are overweight or obese – despite a substantial risk of complications, reports a study in the October issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery®, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

2 Oct 2019