Defining Overweight and Obesity by Percent Body Fat Instead of Body Mass Index
Authors' conclusion
Practical methods of body composition estimation can now replace the indirect BMI assessment for obesity management, using threshold values provided from this study. Clinically relevant "overweight" can be defined as 25% and 36% BF for men and women, respectively, and "obesity" is defined as 30% and 42% BF for men and women.
Study context
- Population
- US adults, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
- Participants
- 16,918 adults
- Exposure
- %BF thresholds vs body mass index (BMI) thresholds for overweight and obesity
- Menn = 8,734
- Womenn = 8,184
- Outcome
- %BF thresholds based on metabolic syndrome (MetSyn), compared with BMI thresholds of overweight and obesity
Methodological detailscorrelational analysis, NHANES public use datasets
- Correlational analysis
- NHANES public use datasets
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
- Men: no metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) below
- 18%BF
- Men: overweight
- 25%BF
- Men: obesity
- 30%BF
- Women: no MetSyn below
- 30%BF
- Women: overweight
- 36%BF
- Women: obesity
- 42%BF
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
- Wide range of variability in BMI prediction of %BF
Original publication
Defining Overweight and Obesity by Percent Body Fat Instead of Body Mass Index. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 15 May 2024. doi:10.
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