Doctors worldwide should diagnose obesity differently, relying on broader criteria and taking into account when the condition causes ill-health, according to a new framework drawn up by experts and endorsed by 76 medical organizations internationally.

A global group of experts has suggested a new approach to diagnosing and treating obesity that does not rely solely on the much-contested body mass index (BMI).

By coincidence (they started before GLP -1 drugs were approved for slimming), a group of 56 doctors have just answered that question. This group, called the Lancet Commission, and organised by the journal of that name, have developed a better way of diagnosing obesity—one that distinguishes when it has become pathological.

Body Mass Index, or BMI, has long been criticized as an unreliable method for measuring obesity — and now a group of experts is sharing new recommendations for how to use it.

Our reframing acknowledges the nuanced reality of obesity and allows for personalized care,” said Dr. Francesco Rubino of King’s College London.

Obesity, long determined by the flawed metric of BMI, should be diagnosed based on other measurements, experts argue.

The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology published its Commission on the definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity. Acknowledging the obstacles and knowledge gaps in the field, this Commission changes how we think about obesity.

New guidance from a team of health experts around the world proposes expanding the definition of obesity beyond the popular body mass index (BMI) measure.

Using body-mass index to tell who is overweight or obese is not reliable and can result in misdiagnosis, the Commission on Clinical Obesity says in a new paper in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Photo by Towfiqu barbhuiya/ Pexels The way obesity is diagnosed needs to become more sophisticated, an international commission has concluded.

Obesity is typically assessed by measuring someone's body mass index, but now researchers are calling for a more nuanced approach that could help with treatment