Body Mass Index (BMI)

Are you incorporating the latest obesity-screening research?

By Naveed Saleh, MD, MS Updated August 1, 2022 It may be tempting to think that BMI is the alpha and omega of body-fat measurements. Not by a long shot. Another useful anthropometric parameter is waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). WHR reflects the proportion of fat located around the waist and hips. Those with more weight at the […]

Lifestyle Mods May Head Off Gout

— Four addressable factors appear key by Kristen Monaco, Staff Writer, MedPage Today November 24, 2020 Reducing four particular risk factors for gout could slash incident cases in men, researchers reported. Over a 26-year period, about 77% (95% CI 56%-88%) of men likely could have avoided gout if they likewise avoid four major risk factors […]

Using cumulative load to explain how body mass index and daily walking relate to worsening knee cartilage damage over two years: The MOST study

Arthritis & Rheumatology — Voinier D, Neogi T, Stefanik JJ, et al. | May 04, 2020 This study was attempted to assess knee overloading and underloading by characterizing cumulative load as the joint impacts of BMI and daily walking, and investigate the association between cumulative load and worsening cartilage damage over 2 years. Researchers applied […]

Obesity More Important Than Genetics for T2DM Risk

— Results underscore key role of weight management, Danish researchers say by Jeff Minerd, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today April 15, 2020 In a large Danish cohort study examining risk factors for type 2 diabetes, obesity overpowered both genetics and lifestyle. Obese individuals were nearly six times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with […]

Exploration of the Inter-Relationships Between Obesity, Physical Inactivity, Inflammation, and Low Back Pain

Hashem, Lukas E., BSc Spine: September 1, 2018 – Volume 43 – Issue 17 – p 1218-1224 doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000002582 Study Design. Retrospective analysis wherein 103 patients were considered, and 76 patients were included: 49 were classified as chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP) (Study group) and 27 had identifiable cases of specific chronic low back pain (LBP) (Control […]

The Association Among Overweight, Obesity, and Low Back Pain in U.S. Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study of the 2015 National Health Interview Survey

Trent Peng, MS, DC Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the association between obesity (via body mass index [BMI]) and presence of low back pain (LBP) in a representative sample of US adults, aged ≥18 years. Methods This cross-sectional study used data from 32 060 respondents to the 2015 National Health […]

Artificial Sweeteners No Boon for BMI

Didn’t show effects in RCTs; tied to BMI boost in cohort studies July 17, 2017 by Scott Harris, Contributing Writer, MedPage Today Artificial sweeteners don’t appear to have any significant effects on body mass index (BMI), according to a review and meta-analysis. In randomized controlled trials, these sweeteners had no effects on BMI, and in […]

Effect of Moderate-Intensity Exercise on Inflammatory Markers Among Postmenopausal Women

J Phys Act Health. 2017 Jun;14(6):479-485. doi: 10.1123/jpah.2016-0319. Epub 2017 Mar 2. Chagas EFB, Bonfim MR, Turi BC, Brondino NCM, Monteiro HL. Abstract BACKGROUND: Declines in ovarian function in postmenopausal women may contribute to increase inflammatory cytokines, which can lead to chronic diseases. However, studies have shown that exercise interventions are important to manage inflammatory conditions. Thus, the objective of […]

Association Between Body Mass Index, C-Reactive Protein Levels, and Melanoma Patient Outcomes

May 15, 2017 Journal of Investigative Dermatology TAKE-HOME MESSAGE This retrospective analysis of 1804 melanoma patients from 1998 to 2008 investigated the effect of body mass index (BMI) and C-reactive protein levels on melanoma outcomes. Increased BMI was associated with lower overall and melanoma-specific survival. Increased BMI was also associated with lower overall and melanoma-specific […]

Obesity mediates the association between Mediterranean diet consumption and insulin resistance and inflammation in US adults

The Journal of Nutrition, 03/20/2017Park YM, et al. This study was performed to explore whether the relationship between Med–diet intake and markers of insulin resistance and inflammation are mediated by body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference (WC) in a representative US population. These outcomes propose that decreasing abdominal obesity may play an imperative role […]

Dietary Intake Mediates the Relationship of Body Fat to Pain

January 26, 2017 Pain TAKE-HOME MESSAGE A 3-hour home visit was conducted with 98 healthy adults in the community to collect information on environment, food-related behaviors, and adiposity to evaluate the effect of dietary intake of anti-inflammatory foods on the relationship of body fat to body pain. Modelling revealed that quality of dietary intake mediated […]

Obesity does not increase the risk of chronic low back pain when genetics are considered. A prospective study of Spanish adult twins

The Spine Journal Volume 17, Issue 2, February 2017, Pages 282–290 Amabile Borges Dario, MSc Abstract Background Context Obesity is commonly investigated as a potential risk factor for low back pain (LBP); however, current evidence remains unclear. Limitations in previous studies may explain the inconsistent results in the field, such as the use of a […]

Morbid Obesity and Lumbar Fusion in Patients Older Than 65 Years: Complications, Readmissions, Costs, and Length of Stay

Spine: 15 January 2017 – Volume 42 – Issue 2 – p 122–127 doi: 10.1097/BRS.0000000000001692 Epidemiology Puvanesarajah, Varun MD; Werner, Brian C. MD; Cancienne, Jourdan M. MD; Jain, Amit MD; Pehlivan, Hakan MD; Shimer, Adam L. MD; Singla, Anuj MD; Shen, Francis MD; Hassanzadeh, Hamid MD Study Design. Retrospective database review. Objective. The aim of […]

Obesity May Increase Cognitive Decline via Inflammation

Liam Davenport October 24, 2016 Being overweight or obese leads to clinically meaningful increases in the rate of cognitive decline in association with changes in inflammatory markers in the blood, a new analysis of longitudinal data suggests. The results, which indicate that an increased body mass index (BMI) may accelerate cognitive decline by several months […]

Impact of a walking program of 10,000 steps per day and dietary counseling on health-related quality of life, energy expenditure and anthropometric parameters in obese subjects

Journal of Endocrinological Investigation, 09/07/2016 Castres I, et al. – In this pilot study, the authors intend was to assess the impact of a walking program of 10,000 steps per day and dietary counseling on health–related quality of life (HRQoL), resting energy expenditure (REE) and anthropometric parameters in obese subjects. This study concluded that Walking […]

The association between arthritis and depression is intensified by excessive body weight

The association between arthritis and depression is intensified by excessive body weight: Findings from a US national survey, 2005–2012 Obesity Research & Clinical Practice, 07/28/2016 Politis MD, et al. – In the present study researchers aim is to determine the degree to which abundance body weight effect–modifies the relationship amongst arthritis and depressive symptoms. The […]

Morbid Obesity and Total Joint Replacement: Is It Okay to Say No?

Clint Wooten, MD; Brian Curtin, MD Orthopedics July/August 2016 – Volume 39 · Issue 4: 207-209 Posted July 25, 2016 Our waiting room provides evidence each day that obesity continues to be a major problem, if not an epidemic, within the United States. It is particularly challenging in the world of arthroplasty. As reported by […]

BMI and All-Cause Mortality

May 25, 2016 BMJ : British Medical Journal AKE-HOME MESSAGE The authors of this systematic review and meta-analysis of 230 cohort studies evaluated the association between BMI and mortality. For every 5-point increase in BMI, the summary relative risk of all-cause mortality was 1.05 for all individuals, 1.18 for never smokers, and 1.21 for healthy […]

Call them spare tires or love handles, belly fat is bad

Heart failure risk increases with waistline Date: April 1, 2016 Source: Norwegian University of Science and Technology Summary: Bad news. It’s not just obesity that can increase the risk of heart failure. Just a few extra kilos, especially around the gut, are dangerous, too. Researchers believe that the obesity wave, combined with an aging population, […]

Body Fat May Be Bigger Health Danger Than Body Size

Study finds fat levels a better indicator of early death than commonly used BMI measure TUESDAY, March 8, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Body mass index (BMI) may not accurately reflect a person’s body composition, or be a good indicator of health, according to research published online March 8 in the Annals of Internal Medicine. William Leslie, […]