Over the past couple of years, body mass index, a ratio of an individual's height and weight, has efficiently become a proxy for whether a person is considered healthy. Lots of U.S. business utilize their staff members' BMIs as a consider figuring out workers' healthcare expenses. And individuals with greater BMIs might quickly have to pay greater health insurance premiums, if a rule proposed in April by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission is adopted.
However a new research study led by UCLA psychologists has actually found that using BMI to gauge health improperly labels more than 54 million Americans as "unhealthy," although they are not. The scientists' findings are released online today in the International Journal of Obesity.
" Many individuals see obesity as a death sentence," stated A. Janet Tomiyama, an assistant teacher of psychology in the UCLA College and the research study's lead author. "But the information show there are 10s of countless people who are obese and overweight and are perfectly healthy."
The scientists examined the link in between BMI-- which is calculated by dividing an individual's weight in kilograms by the square of the person's height in meters-- and a number of health markers, including high blood pressure and glucose, triglyceride and cholesterol levels, utilizing information from the most current National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The research study discovered that near half of Americans who are considered "overweight" by virtue of their BMIs (47.4 percent, or 34.4 million individuals) are healthy, as are 19.8 million who are considered "obese.".
Given their health readings other than BMI, the people in both of those groups would be unlikely to sustain higher medical costs, and it would be unfair to charge them more for health care premiums, Tomiyama stated.
Among the other findings:.
- More than 30 percent of those with BMIs in the "regular" variety-- about 20.7 million individuals-- are really unhealthy based on their other health information.
- More than 2 million individuals who are thought about "extremely obese" by virtue of having a BMI of 35 or higher are really healthy. That's about 15 percent of Americans who are classified as very overweight.
Tomiyama, who directs UCLA's Dieting, Stress and Health lab, likewise called DiSH, found in previous research that there was no clear connection between weight loss and health improvements associated with cholesterol, diabetes, and hypertension and blood sugar levels.
She said she was surprised at the magnitude of the numbers in the most recent study.
" There are healthy individuals who could be penalized based on a malfunctioning health procedure, while the unhealthy people of regular weight will fly under the radar and will not get charged more for their medical insurance," she stated. "Employers, policy makers and insurance provider need to focus on real health markers.".
Jeffrey Hunger, a co-author of the paper and a doctoral prospect at UC Santa Barbara, stated the research shows that BMI is a deeply problematic procedure of health. "This must be the final nail in the coffin for BMI," he said.
Hunger suggests that individuals focus on eating a healthy diet and working out regularly, rather than obsessing about their weight, and highly opposes stigmatizing individuals who are overweight.
The proposed EEOC guideline would allow employers to charge higher insurance coverage rates to people whose BMI is 25 or greater. A BMI in between 18.5 and 24.99 is considered regular, however the study highlights that typical BMI should not be the primary goal for preserving health.
Tomiyama is preparing a brand-new research study of individuals with high BMIs who are extremely healthy. Prospective individuals might contact her laboratory for more details.
Co-authors of the International Journal of Obesity study are Jolene Nguyen-Cuu, supervisor of Tomiyama's laboratory, and Christine Wells, a UCLA analytical analyst.