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Why BMI is flawed — and how to redefine obesity

The main diagnostic test for obesity — the body mass index — accounts for only height and weight, leaving out a slew of factors that influence body fat and health.
  1. McKenzie Prillaman

    1. McKenzie Prillaman is a freelance science journalist in Washington DC.

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Members of a football team wearing a green kit warm up before their match

Players in an ‘overweight football league’ warm up before a match in Germany. To join, members must have a BMI of at least 31. Credit: Ina Fassbender/AFP via Getty

As an obesity physician, Fatima Cody Stanford has treated many people whose weight was causing them health problems. She has plenty of success stories: one woman, for instance, returned “stunning” cholesterol, blood-pressure and blood-sugar readings after working with Stanford for about ten years.

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Nature 622, 232-233 (2023)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-03143-x

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