International and Swiss experts call for new obesity guidelines
Obesity needs to be diagnosed differently, say experts
Keystone-SDA
Select your language
Generated with artificial intelligence.
Listening: International and Swiss experts call for new obesity guidelines
A group of international doctors, including those from the University Hospitals of Geneva, says the body mass index (BMI) is not a reliable measure of health and calls for a revision of the guidelines for diagnosing obesity.
This content was published on
3 minutes
Keystone-SDA
Français
fr
L’obésité doit être diagnostiquée différemment, selon des experts
Original
In addition to BMI, body fat metrics – such as waist circumference or direct fat measurement – should be used, the group recommended on Wednesday in the British journal The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology.
BMI is calculated by dividing weight in kilograms by height in metres squared. Currently, a BMI over 30 is considered a sign of obesity for people of European origin.
Specialists have long criticised the fact that BMI isn’t a direct measure of fat, doesn’t reflect its distribution in the body and provides no information on individual health or disease.
Why relying on BMI alone to diagnose obesity is problematic
“Relying solely on BMI to diagnose obesity is problematic, as some people tend to store excess fat around the waist or in and around their organs such as the liver, heart, or muscles,” explained Robert Eckel of the University of Colorado at Aurora, co-author of the paper.
More
More
Four ways your kids are being nudged online to eat junk food
This content was published on
Unhealthy food is being advertised online to children as young as four. This is one conclusion of a Swiss pilot of a WHO monitoring tool.
According to him, this poses a higher health risk than excess fat directly under the skin in the arms, legs or other parts of the body. Moreover, people with excess body fat don’t always have a BMI that indicates obesity, so their health problems may go unnoticed.
The expert panel suggests using various diagnostic methods, such as measuring waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or waist-to-height ratio, alongside BMI, or even directly measuring body fat. Only those with a BMI over 40 would be considered to have excess body fat without needing further confirmation.
Two categories of obesity: clinical and preclinical
Alongside the new diagnostic guidelines, the experts, led by Francesco Rubino of King’s College London, propose two new categories: ‘clinical obesity’ for chronic disease linked to lasting organ dysfunction, and ‘preclinical obesity’ for the earlier phase that presents health risks but isn’t yet a chronic disease.
More
More
Roche’s big bet on big diseases
This content was published on
Swiss pharma giant Roche is the latest company to refocus its R&D investment on diseases like obesity that weigh heavily on healthcare budgets.
Different therapeutic strategies are needed for the two phases, according to the authors. The proposal by the Commission on Clinical Obesity, which brings together doctors from various specialties, is backed by 76 learned societies and patient associations worldwide, as stated in the article.
Obesity in Switzerland
It’s estimated that over a billion people worldwide suffer from obesity. In Switzerland, the proportion has doubled over the past 30 years: in men, it has risen from 6% in 1992 to 13% in 2022, and in women from 5% to 11%, according to figures from the Swiss Federal Statistical Office. This trend is observed across all age groups.
Translated from French by DeepL/sp
This news story has been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team. At SWI swissinfo.ch we select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools such as DeepL to translate it into English. Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles.
If you want to know more about how we work, have a look here, and if you have feedback on this news story please write to english@swissinfo.ch.
Popular Stories
More
Demographics
Flat-hunting in Switzerland’s cheapest and most expensive municipalities
Train vs plane: would you take a direct train between London and Geneva?
Eurostar is planning to run direct trains from Britain to Germany and Switzerland from the early 2030s. Would you favour the train over the plane? If not, why not?
20 Minuten: last Swiss free daily to stop being printed
This content was published on
From the end of the year, there will no longer be a daily free newspaper in Switzerland: the TX Group is discontinuing the print version of "20 Minuten". Up to 80 full-time positions are to be cut in the editorial and publishing departments.
This content was published on
The Swiss population is in favour of compulsory military service and closer ties with NATO. These are the findings of the "Security 2025" study.
Irregular migration to Switzerland halves year-on-year
This content was published on
Irregular migration to Switzerland has decreased significantly. The figures from January to May show that only half as many illegal stays were recorded compared to the same period last year.
This content was published on
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is to cut around 3,500 jobs as a result of financial cuts linked in particular to US decisions. Hundreds of temporary contracts will also be cut, the UN agency said in Geneva on Monday.
Swiss government to help cantons in expelling rejected asylum-seekers
This content was published on
The federal government is to provide greater relief and support to the cantons when it comes to deporting people who are not entitled to asylum in Switzerland.
This content was published on
One in four people in Switzerland feel stressed often or almost always. Among the under-30s, the figure is as high as 40 per cent. This is according to the "Health Forecast" study financed by health insurer Sanitas.
This content was published on
The permafrost in the Swiss Alps is thawing faster and faster. The thawed top layers of permafrost have never been as thick as they were last year. This is shown by the latest data from the Swiss permafrost monitoring network Permos.
Landslide in Blatten causes CHF320 million in damage
This content was published on
The landslide in Blatten VS and the resulting floods caused damage totalling CHF 320 million. Around CHF 260 million of this was due to damage to buildings and household contents, according to estimates by Swiss private insurers.
Failure to help rape victims remains unpunishable in Switzerland
This content was published on
Failing to come to the aid of a rape victim will remain unpunishable. Against the advice of the National Council, the Council of States on Monday rejected by 30 votes to 13 a Socialist parliamentary initiative to review the current law.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.