One-third of thin people according to the BMI formula are truly obese

2013/02/15 Galarraga Aiestaran, Ana - Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Dietetika/Elikagaiak
• Osasuna

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Body mass index (BMI) is a common practice in the diagnosis of obesity. In principle, many factors must be taken into account for a rigorous diagnosis, but since the calculation of BMI is very simple (the weight of the person in kilograms divided by two meters in height), much is used to know if a person has a suitable weight at his height.

However, research in Navarra has shown that the formula has a very high margin of error. Specifically, in addition to the volume and mass of 6,123 people, a series of parameters related to obesity have been measured (insulin sensitivity, lipid profile, blood pressure...) and have realized that, taking into account these parameters and the percentage of fat they contain, 29% of these people are obese.

The study has been published in the scientific journals Obesity, International Journal of Obesity and Diabetes Care. In addition, along with weight and height, the University Clinic of Navarra has proposed a formula more taking into account age and sex, because it provides more accurate results than BMI. The formula, called CUN-BAE, is available on the website of the University Clinic of Navarra.