Currently, in many countries, obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30, external – a measurement that estimates body fat based on height and weight.
Access to weight loss drugs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro is often limited to patients in this category.
In many parts of the UK, the NHS also requires people to have a weight-related medical condition.
But BMI reveals nothing about a patient’s overall health, the report says, and fails to differentiate between muscle and body fat or explain the more dangerous fat around the waist and organs.
Experts are pushing for a new model that considers the signs of obesity that affect the body’s organs – such as heart disease, shortness of breath, type 2 diabetes or joint pain – and their detrimental impact on everyday life.
This means that obesity has become a clinical disease and requires drug treatment.
However, those with ‘preclinical obesity’ should be offered weight loss advice, counseling and monitoring, rather than drugs and surgery, to reduce the chances of developing health problems. Treatment may also be required.
