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.

Design of built environment impacts level of physical activity in Chinese cities, shows study

Chinese cities are different from many Western cities in relation to urban design, and far more densely populated.

12 Feb 2015

Risks and benefits of fecal microbiota transplant

A woman successfully treated for a recurrent Clostridium difficile infection with stool from an overweight donor rapidly gained weight herself afterwards, becoming obese, according to a case report published in the new journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

9 Feb 2015

Big-box retailers, fast-food restaurants contribute to obesity epidemic, says Georgia State economist

Big-box retailers Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale and Walmart, along with full-service and fast-food restaurants, are key contributors to the nation's obesity epidemic, according to research by a health economist in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University.

9 Feb 2015

Childhood obesity linked to higher risk of developing oesophageal cancer in later life

Overweight children may be at higher risk of oesophageal (gullet) cancer when they grow up than their slimmer friends, according to research published this week in the British Journal of Cancer.

6 Feb 2015

Ildong Pharmaceutical to market BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) for weight management in South Korea

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced that Ildong Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., has informed Arena that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety has approved BELVIQ (lorcaserin HCl) for marketing for weight management in South Korea. Ildong will market and distribute BELVIQ in South Korea under its marketing and supply agreement with Arena's wholly owned subsidiary, Arena Pharmaceuticals GmbH, or Arena GmbH.

3 Feb 2015

Regular outdoor walking in groups boosts health, reduces life-threatening conditions

Risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, depression and other life-threatening conditions can be reduced through regular outdoor walking in groups, according to research from the University of East Anglia.

19 Jan 2015

First medical device approved for treatment of obesity

The United States Food and Drug Administration approved EnteroMedic's VBLOC vagal blocking therapy, delivered via the Maestro System, which is the first medical device approved for obesity treatment that targets the nerve pathway between the brain and the stomach.

15 Jan 2015

Walking for just 20 minutes a day may reduce death risk

People who are physically inactive may significantly reduce their risk of early death by walking for just 20 minutes a day, according to new research.

15 Jan 2015

Kidney failure predictors in adolescents: an interview with Dr. Per-Ola Sundin

Diabetes, hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases as well as obesity are some of the markers of risk for kidney failure that we are aware of in adulthood. Markers of risk prior to adulthood for subsequent chronic kidney disease resulting in kidney failure are less well described.

11 Jan 2015

ADA lowers BMI cut point for screening Asian Americans for type 2 diabetes

The American Diabetes Association announced today that they are lowering the Body Mass Index (BMI) cut point for which they recommend screening Asian Americans for type 2 diabetes. These new guidelines derives from a position statement that will be published in the January issue of Diabetes Care, showing that many Asian Americans develop type 2 diabetes at lower BMI levels than the population at large.

24 Dec 2014

School-based obesity prevention efforts may influence weight status of parents

Parents of children involved in an elementary school-based community intervention to prevent obesity appear to share in its health benefits. A new analysis of Shape Up Somerville: Eat Smart Play Hard shows an association between being exposed to the intervention as a parent and a modest decrease in body mass index (BMI) compared to parents in two similar control communities.

19 Dec 2014

Multifaceted intervention helps bipolar disorder patients lose weight

An Integrated Risk Reduction Intervention can help overweight and obese patients with bipolar disorder to reduce their body mass index, US researchers report.

18 Dec 2014

Meniscal surgery may increase risk of osteoarthritis, cartilage loss

A popular surgery to repair meniscal tears may increase the risk of osteoarthritis and cartilage loss in some patients, according to research presented today at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America. The findings show that the decision for surgery requires careful consideration in order to avoid accelerated disease onset, researchers said.

3 Dec 2014

Occupational sitting tied to increased likelihood of obesity in women

Occupational sitting is associated with an increased likelihood of obesity, especially among black women, independent of occupational and leisure time physical activity, finds a new study from the School of Medicine and the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis.

2 Dec 2014

Quarter of all obesity-related cancers in 2012 attributed to increasing BMI, say researchers

Based on the results, the researchers led by Dr Melina Arnold from the International Agency for Research on Cancer, estimate that a quarter of all obesity-related cancers in 2012 (118 000 cases) were attributable to the rising average body mass index (BMI) in the population since 1982, and were therefore "realistically avoidable".

26 Nov 2014

Study provides estimates of obesity-attributable costs of absenteeism among U.S. workers

A study conducted by researchers at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health shows that obesity costs the U.S. $8.65 billion per year as a result of absenteeism in the workplace --more than 9% of all absenteeism costs.

23 Nov 2014

Obese people experience silent cardiac damage that fuels risk for heart failure

Using an ultrasensitive blood test to detect the presence of a protein that heralds heart muscle injury, researchers from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have found that obese people without overt heart disease experience silent cardiac damage that fuels their risk for heart failure down the road.

21 Nov 2014

BMI plays role in rheumatoid arthritis patients' ability to achieve sustained remission

A study by Hospital for Special Surgery researchers finds that body mass index (BMI) plays a role in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients' ability to achieve a sustained remission. Looking at patients who had received an RA diagnosis within the past 12 months, investigators found that those who were significantly underweight or overweight/obese were the least likely to remain in remission.

18 Nov 2014

Study finds that fat around heart closely associated with atrial fibrillation

Obesity is a known risk factor for atrial fibrillation, the most common heart rhythm disorder.