Traditional Method of Calculating Body Mass Index Found to Be Unreliable
A recent study by Italian researchers has revealed that the traditional method of calculating Body Mass Index (BMI) is unreliable, yielding inaccurate results for more than one-third of the adult population. These findings will be presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026), highlighting the need to rethink existing approaches to assessing body weight.
The traditional method of calculating Body Mass Index (BMI) has proven to be unreliable, as results from a new study conducted by Italian scientists indicate that this method provides false readings for over one-third of the adult population. These significant findings are set to be presented at the upcoming European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2026), which underscores the critical importance of re-evaluating the current methodologies used to assess body weight.
The research, carried out by scholars from the universities of Verona, Modena, and Reggio Emilia, employed the 'gold standard' of diagnostics—dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). This advanced method allowed researchers to uncover that BMI often misclassifies individuals, incorrectly attributing excess weight to some while failing to recognize actual obesity in others.
A total of 1,351 participants aged between 18 and 98 years were involved in the study. The scientists compared standard World Health Organization (WHO) categories with actual measurements of body fat. Alarmingly, it was found that among those diagnosed with obesity by BMI, 34% actually only had excess weight. The most significant discrepancies were observed in the 'overweight' group, where more than half of the participants (53%) were mistakenly categorized. Of these individuals, 75% were found to have normal weight, while 25% were found to have hidden obesity.
The DXA method also revealed that 68% of individuals whom BMI identified as having a body weight deficiency were, in fact, within the normal range. This indicates that the traditional method not only overestimates but also underestimates individuals' health statuses.
Professor Marwan El Ghoch, one of the authors of the study, emphasizes the primary flaw of BMI—its disregard for fat distribution and body tissue composition. While the overall proportion of individuals with excess weight appears similar between both methods (37% according to DXA versus 41% according to BMI), these often represent entirely different groups of people. This suggests that relying solely on BMI for health assessments can be potentially dangerous.
The authors of the study are advocating for an update to public health recommendations, proposing the inclusion of more accurate assessment tools, such as skinfold thickness measurements or waist-to-height ratios. This would help prevent the overestimation or neglect of health risks faced by millions of citizens, which is particularly crucial in the context of the growing obesity crisis in society.
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