The Mayo Clinic warns that people with a normal body mass index (BMI) may still need to be concerned about obesity.

BMI is the ratio of height to weight, and it is often used to determine whether or not someone is overweight.  Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez and colleagues at the Mayo Clinic recently reported that people with normal BMIs that still have excess body fat were more likely to have high cholesterol and extra body fat, which are both characteristics of metabolic syndrome.

Lopez-Jimenez calls the condition “normal-weight obesity”, and it was found in 61% of a sample of 2,127 men and women with normal BMIs.  Francisco says that “it normally comes down to exercise.”  He recommends that people should perform both strength training and aerobic workouts.

I recently posted about the growing levels of obesity in the US.  However, it seems like being normal weight may not be enough.  However, I have never put much stock in the BMI.  It does not account for muscle mass, which weighs more than body fat.  Therefore, muscular people may have high BMIs, while people with “normal-weight obesity” will have acceptable BMIs.

Reference:  MedLine Plus

Where overweight people carry their extra weight – the waist or hips – can influence their risk of several disorders.

Research has shown that having an “apple-shaped” body, which means fat is mostly stored in the abdominal regions, increases the risk of heart disease, stroke, Type 2 diabetes, hypertension, several types of cancer, and probably other disorders. A “pear-shaped” body, which means fat is mostly stored in the hips, butt, and thighs, is less risky, and may actually be protective in some ways, especially for women.

Several factors, particularly gender, influence where fat is distributed. Men store most of their excess fat in the midsection, but women tend to store it lower on the body. Although, women can be apple-shaped as well, particularly after menopause. Heredity and activity level also affect body shape.

Abdominal obesity increases the risk of having high LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood pressure, and blood sugar. This combination of problems in known as metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of several chronic diseases.

Furthermore, the fat stored in the midsection is mostly visceral fat, which means it is stored in and around the liver and other organs. Whereas, most of the fat in the hips and thighs is stored just under the skin, which is termed subcutaneous fat. The visceral fat in the abdominal area is more “metabolically active” than subcutaneous fat. These means that it releases substances – certain fatty acids, hormones, and inflammatory compounds – which are thought to account for some of the health problems. For example, chronic inflammation may increase cardiovascular risk.

Unfortunately, spot reduction (losing fat in just one area) is not possible. Therefore, doing excessive amounts of sit-ups and crunches will not cause you to lose fat faster in your midsection. In order to lose the abdominal fat, you have to lose fat throughout your entire body. Fortunately, those areas that accumulate fat faster than others also lose it faster.

A decent measure of your risk for the mentioned diseases and disorders is the waist-to-hip ratio. To determine this, measure your waist at the navel, and your hips at the greatest circumference around the buttocks. Then divide the waist measurement by the hip measurement. A waist-to-hip ratio greater than 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women signifies an above-average risk. A ratio greater than 1.0 for men and 0.9 for women indicates a high risk. It is preferable for a man’s waist to be 10% smaller than his hips, and a women’s waist should be 20% smaller than her hips.

There has been a lot of research on this topic, and I think it is a fairly good assessment of risk. However, I think a qualified doctor should be consulted for anyone that is overweight or obese.

Reference: UC Berkeley Wellness Letter

Research from the Mayo Clinic has shown that over 50% of American adults considered to have normal body weight have high body fat percentages as well as heart and metabolic trouble. High body fat is considered to be over 20% for men and 30% for women.

The results of this research contradict the common belief that having a normal body weight automatically guards against illnesses such as metabolic syndrome (which can lead to type 2 diabetes) and high circulating blood fats.

The researchers used body mass index to classify “normal weight”. Their results have shown that those who had normal BMI but had the highest percentage of body fat also had metabolic disturbances linked to heart disease.

This research should help doctors more effectively assess risk and to focus more on body fat and less on BMI. I think this is very interesting research and will hopefully lead to more concentration on body fat percentage. I’m sure that most people know somebody that is very muscular and lean but has a high BMI. I have also known people that have normal BMI’s but have high body fat, and I have heard these people called “skinny fat” before. It makes sense that the lean, muscular person would be more healthy than the “skinny fat” person.

Reference: EurekAlert