A new report says only using BMI to determine if a patient has obesity leads to under-diagnosing people who are ill and over-diagnosing people who don't currently deal with the negative health consequences of obesity.

Doctors worldwide should diagnose obesity differently, relying on broader criteria and taking into account when the condition causes ill-health, according to a new framework drawn up by experts and endorsed by 76 medical organizations internationally.

Our reframing acknowledges the nuanced reality of obesity and allows for personalized care,” said Dr. Francesco Rubino of King’s College London.

The new definition proposed by the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission, a group of 58 leading experts from various medical specialties and countries, moves beyond a simple cutoff mark for Body Mass Index (BMI),

Body Mass Index, or BMI, has long been criticized as an unreliable method for measuring obesity — and now a group of experts is sharing new recommendations for how to use it.

As of March 2020, nearly 42% of US adults had obesity, with the report estimating that more than a billion people are living with obesity worldwide.

Under recommendations released Tuesday night, obesity would no longer be defined solely by BMI, a calculation of height and weight, but combined with other measurements, such as waist circumference, plus evidence of health problems tied to extra pounds.