August 11, 2009 – A study1 Canadian questions accuracy of body mass index (BMI)2. BMI is the most common measurement tool used to diagnose obesity and overweight.
Researchers from the Faculty of Medicine of Memorial University of Newfoundland compared the BMI of 1,691 adult volunteers and the percentage of body fat (or body fat) obtained by an imaging test, ADEX, which very accurately measures a person’s body fat, lean body mass and body fat. bone mineral density.
Each of the subjects was subjected to both diagnostic methods.
A serious gap
According to BMI criteria, 20.3% of women were obese, while the ADEX results instead indicated that 37.1% of them were obese. This represents a difference of 34.7% between the two measuring instruments.
In men, the difference between the results of the two methods was similar, at 35.2%.
In fact, more than a third of the participants (both women and men) had obtained a false diagnosis by the BMI method. A significant number of obese participants were, based on their BMI, considered to be overweight or, even, to be of normal weight.
According to the researchers, these deviations have serious consequences for the treatment that may or may not be suggested by treating physicians to their patients.
According to the authors of the study, ADEX would be much more reliable in this regard since it makes it possible to better assess the fat mass, which represents a real health risk.
ADEX (for dual energy x-ray absorptiometry) is a painless test that only takes about 20 minutes. The doses of x-rays used during the examination are minimal and do not represent excessive exposure to this radiation, according to the researchers.
ADEX is used in particular for the diagnosis of osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Pierre Lefrançois – PasseportSanté.net
According to Medical News
1. Kennedy AP, Shea JL, Sun G. Comparison of the Classification of Obesity by BMI vs. Dual-energy X-ray Absorptiometry in the Newfoundland Population. Obesity (2009) doi: 10.1038 / oby.2009.101
2. To take our BMI test, click here.
