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Even normal weight can be too much: A new study on BMI and obesity
19.09.2023 17:20
Updated: 13.05.2024 21:23
Most people rely on BMA while tracking their weight and health - but it might be not that effective these days.
While in many cases it can actually help you understand whether you have a healthy body weight or not, your fat percentage matters way more.
A new study shows why it's so important.
More about the study
Researchers from the School of Public Health at TAU's Faculty of Medicine conducted a big study in Israel involving about 3,000 women and men.
They wanted to find out how to measure people's health better.
Right now, many clinics use something called the BMI index, which looks at weight and height.
But the researchers found that checking the amount of body fat (the squishy stuff under your skin) is a better way to see if someone is healthy or not.
More details
The study showed that body fat percentage is more reliable than BMI for knowing if someone is at risk of having health problems like heart disease or diabetes.
They suggest that clinics in Israel should use devices that can measure body fat and that this should be the standard way to check health.
Test results
The researchers found something interesting, too.
Some people who looked like they had a normal weight (according to BMI) actually had too much body fat.
This can be risky for their health.
On the other hand, some people who were classified as overweight by BMI had a normal amount of body fat and were healthier.
So, the researchers are saying that we should pay more attention to how much body fat a person has to understand their health better.
