body mass index

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It's Time to Redefine Obesity, World's Leading Experts Say

Commission on Clinical Obesity calls for diagnosis to include more than just BMI

(Newser) - For years, a debate has raged over how obesity is diagnosed. Currently, many countries define obesity as having a body mass index (BMI) over 30, but critics have long argued that other factors come into play beyond BMI, which is the ratio of a person's height to weight. Now,...

It's Better to Be Fit Than Thin
If You're Obese but
Fit, Some Good News
NEW STUDY
Jan 8, 2025 1:26 PM CST

If You're Obese but Fit, Some Good News

Being aerobically fit cancels early death risk from excess weight, researchers say

(Newser) - More than 40% of US adults are obese . If you're one of them and struggling to lose weight, this is your sign to step off the scale and get moving. Prior studies have found obesity boosts one's risk of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and premature death. However,...

US Obesity 'Is at a Crisis Point'
US Obesity 'Is at a Crisis Point'
NEW STUDY
Nov 15, 2024 6:28 AM CST

US Obesity 'Is at a Crisis Point'

More than 40% of adults and 29% of young girls and women are obese, study finds

(Newser) - "Obesity is at a crisis point throughout the USA," according to researchers who tracked obesity rates nationwide, per CTV News . Almost three-quarters of US adults over 25 are overweight or obese, up from just over half in 1990, while nearly half of those aged 15 to 24 are,...

American Medical Association: This Health Metric Is Racist
AMA: BMI Metric Has
Caused 'Historical Harm'
in case you missed it
Jun 18, 2023 12:15 PM CDT

AMA: BMI Metric Has Caused 'Historical Harm'

American Medical Association says body mass index as a tool is not only inaccurate, but racist

(Newser) - There's long been pushback on using body mass index, or BMI, as a health gauge. Critics say the metric—which claims to measure body fat simply by carrying out a calculation involving one's height and weight—might assign the same BMI to a person who has a lot...

This Is How Much the Average American Weighs
This Is How Much the
Average American Weighs
in case you missed it
Dec 23, 2018 2:04 PM CST

This Is How Much the Average American Weighs

197.9 pounds for men, 170.6 pounds for women—30 pounds more than in the early '60s

(Newser) - Everyone might want to get a head start on their New Year's resolutions to shed a few pounds. Per CNN , a new report from the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics shows Americans are shrinking—the average height for men (5-9) and women (5-4) decreased slightly from 1999-2000...

The Potential Issue With 'Good Cop, Bad Cop' Parenting

'Nicer' parent may not be able to compensate for the 'meaner' one

(Newser) - When a child has an overbearing parent, it's bound to be stressful, and it may even spur a "good cop, bad cop" dynamic between parents. But a new study published in Social Science and Medicine suggests that not only is such severe parenting linked to an increased risk...

8th-Grader Refuses to Share Her 'Perfect' BMI
 8th-Grader 
 Refuses to 
 Share Her 
 'Perfect' BMI 
in case you missed it
Apr 9, 2016 9:40 AM CDT

8th-Grader Refuses to Share Her 'Perfect' BMI

She instead pens an essay arguing the index is outdated

(Newser) - An Indiana 8th-grader's refusal to complete a school project as assigned is making headlines . The unnamed girl was asked to calculate her body mass index and give the definition for BMI , which is found by multiplying one's weight by 703 and dividing by squared height in inches. But...

Airline Has Bad News for 'Fat' Workers

Air India wants its cabin crew to be in shape

(Newser) - Air India has bad news for crew members it deems "overweight": Time for you to find a new job. The airline is planning to cut 125 workers after warning several hundred of them last year that it was time to get in shape, the BBC reports. Those who didn'...

Here's How Much Weight Marriage Packs On
Here's How Much Weight Marriage Packs On
in case you missed it
Jul 4, 2015 7:00 PM CDT

Here's How Much Weight Marriage Packs On

4.5 pounds in Europeans of average height: researchers

(Newser) - Marriage doesn't just add to your happiness , but also to your waistline, according to a new study. But singles shouldn't boast just yet. German and Swiss researchers surveyed 10,226 people in nine European countries on their marital status and body mass index—a health indicator based on...

Morning Light Could Be Key to Weight Loss

Light exposure kick-starts metabolism

(Newser) - Getting a good dose of early morning light on a regular basis appears to be a simple but remarkably effective way of maintaining a healthy weight, according to a groundbreaking new study. Researchers found that regardless of caloric intake, people who had more early light exposure were the most likely...

Facing Fat Test, US Troops Use ... Liposuction

Stocky service members fight for their very careers

(Newser) - Don't be surprised to see US troops lining up at your nearest plastic surgeon's office—they're probably terrified of failing the Pentagon's body fat test, the AP reports. "They come in panicked about being kicked out or getting a demerit that will hurt their chances...

Roads Are Deadlier for Obese Drivers
 Roads Are Deadlier 
 for Obese Drivers 
STUDY SAYS
Jan 22, 2013 1:33 AM CST

Roads Are Deadlier for Obese Drivers

Risk of crash death soars with driver weight

(Newser) - Obesity can be deadly even behind the wheel, according to a new study. Researchers examined thousands of crashes involving similar-sized vehicles and found that obese people were more likely to die in crashes than people of normal weight, with the risk of death increasing along with one's body mass...

The Slightly Fat Live Longer
 The Slightly Fat Live Longer 
STUDY SAYS
Jan 2, 2013 4:33 AM CST

The Slightly Fat Live Longer

But quality of life not as good, experts warn

(Newser) - Being obese is likely to take years off your life, but those who are just a bit overweight actually appear to have a lower risk of premature death than those of normal weight, according to a startling new study. Researchers crunched the numbers on studies involving nearly 3 million people...

Unnatural Sleep Schedules Can Make You Fat

People who disrupt biological clocks have higher BMIs

(Newser) - Your alarm clock could be making you flabby, suggests new research. People who force themselves to maintain schedules that are different from their natural sleep routines are more likely to put on the pounds, reports LiveScience . Researchers collected data from more than 65,000 Europeans and found that for every...

BMI Says You're Not Obese? Well, You Might Be Anyway

New study suggests new, pricier procedure to determine obesity

(Newser) - Feeling pretty good about yourself because, according to your BMI, you're not obese? Well, a new study finds that you may have reason to worry after all: Researchers used a new, and supposedly more accurate, standard for detecting obesity—a person's ratio of fat to lean muscle mass—...

Malaysia to Grade Students on Their Weight

Move is designed to curb obesity

(Newser) - Soon, if you want to be an "A" student in Malaysia, you'll have to study and exercise hard. Schools across the country will add students' body mass index alongside their usual grades in a bid to curb childhood obesity, the country's health minister says. The move is...

More Than 10% of Planet's Adults Obese

Study also find US has highest BMI among high-income countries

(Newser) - Almost half a billion adults—10% of the adult population worldwide—were obese as of 2008, a new study finds. That’s nearly twice the 1980 rate, reports Scientific American . On average, each decade has seen a body mass index inch up 0.4 to an average of 23.8...

Black Women Can Have Bigger Waists, Still Be Healthy

By two measures, black women could be bigger without raising health risk

(Newser) - Black women can have larger waistlines and be larger in general than white women and still be relatively healthy, according to new research.The study of 6,400 volunteers examined abdominal obesity and body-mass index and found that black women had higher thresholds than white women for both measures before...

Why Carrying an Extra 10 Pounds Might Not Hurt - WSJ.com
 10 Extra Pounds 
 Might Be Good 
in case you missed it
May 1, 2010 1:25 PM CDT

10 Extra Pounds Might Be Good

New research is focusing less on the bathroom scale

(Newser) - Those carrying 10 to 15 extra pounds might be able to stop feeling guilty about the bathroom scale. A spate of studies show a little extra weight isn't such a bad thing, the Wall Street Journal concludes. In fact, it might even ward off diseases such as osteoporosis and help...

Japanese Women Are Skinny, Think They're Fat

Media ideal and stiff competition leads to wacky body image

(Newser) - “I think I am very fat,” a 40-year-old Japanese woman of normal weight whose BMI is verging on “thin” tells the Wall Street Journal , and that’s the story all over the island nation. Japan continues to be the thinnest industrialized nation, and its women have gotten...

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