Body mass index (BMI)-based obesity classification misses children and adolescents with raised cardiometabolic risk due to increased adiposity
Authors' conclusion
Results from the present study suggest increased cardiometabolic risk factors in children and adolescents without obesity according to BMI but with obesity based on BF%. Being aware of the difficulty in determining body composition in everyday clinical practice, our data show that its inclusion could yield clinically useful information both for the diagnosis and treatment of overweight and obesity.
Study context
- Population
- White children and adolescents aged 6–17 years; BF% by air displacement plethysmography and cardiometabolic risk markers378 females/175 males
- Participants
- 553 children
- Exposure
- BMI-based obesity classification vs BF% measurement
- Normal weight (NW)n = 197reference
- Overweight (OW)n = 144
- Obesity (OB)n = 212
- Outcome
- BF% within obesity range among those not obese by BMI
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Cardiometabolic risk in non-obese by BMI but obese by BF%
- Boys: higher blood pressure and C-reactive protein (CRP), similar to those with obesity by BMI and BF%
- Girls: higher blood pressure, glucose, uric acid, CRP and white blood cell count, and reduced HDL-C, similar to those with obesity by BMI and BF%
Glucose homeostasis after OGTT
- Both groups with obesity by BF% showed similarly altered glucose homeostasis vs NW counterparts
Original publication
BMI-based obesity classification misses children and adolescents with raised cardiometabolic risk due to increased adiposity. Cardiovasc Diabetol. Published 4 September 2023. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →