Micronutrients & recovery
Standard BMI cutoffs (≥30 kg/m²) significantly underestimate obesity prevalence, particularly in women, due to failure to account for sarcopenic obesity and body composition changes with age.
If you are a woman, especially over 50, your BMI might be misleading. You could have 'normal weight obesity' (high body fat, low muscle) which carries health risks. Ask your doctor about body composition analysis (like DXA) or leptin levels if you have risk factors, rather than relying solely on BMI.
BMI significantly underestimates prevalence of obesity when compared to DXA direct measurement of percent body fat... This misclassification was seen more commonly in women than in men and occurred more frequently with advancing age in women.
Why this rating
Large cross-sectional study (n=1,393) with robust statistical analysis (ROC curves, regression), though limited by cross-sectional design and lack of racial diversity.
Source
Measuring Adiposity in Patients: The Utility of Body Mass Index (BMI), Percent Body Fat, and Leptin
Nirav R. Shah et al. · PLoS ONE · 2012
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