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New analysis offered at this yr’s European Congress on Weight problems (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11–14 Might) exhibits that the internationally acknowledged physique mass index (BMI) cut-off factors drastically overestimate obese and weight problems in male athletes. The research, from Italy, additionally proposes new cut-off factors for obese and weight problems on this group.
The research has been revealed within the journal Vitamins.
Physique mass index (BMI) is a key technique for measuring individuals’s weight standing, defining whether or not they have regular weight, obese or weight problems. It’s simply calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the sq. of their top in meters.
A BMI of 25 kg/m2 or above is an indicator of obese and a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or above signifies weight problems in white women and men of all ages, in accordance with the World Well being Group’s (WHO) categorization system.
Nonetheless, some analysis has discovered that this classification system will not be good at figuring out obese and weight problems in athletes and its use on this group has lengthy been topic to criticism.
“BMI doesn’t distinguish between body fat and lean mass, which includes muscle,” explains Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the Division of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, College of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
“As a result, a muscular athlete with low body fat can be wrongly classified as living with overweight or obesity. Despite this, many sports organizations still rely on the traditional BMI classification system.”
In a brand new research, Professor El Ghoch and researchers from the College of Verona in Italy and Beirut College in Lebanon got down to decide how correct the BMI cut-offs of 25 and 30 kg/m2 are at figuring out obese and weight problems in male athletes and, in the event that they had been discovered to be inaccurate, to ascertain higher cut-offs.
The cross-sectional research concerned 622 males (common age of 25.7 years, BMI ≥ 20 kg/m2) who had been referred to the Division of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Motion Sciences, of the College of Verona, Italy, and took part in sports activities together with soccer, rugby, basketball, volleyball, cross-fit, karate and others at a aggressive degree.
The contributors had been categorized utilizing the present BMI system and by their physique fats proportion (BF%).
Utilizing the present BMI system, greater than 1 / 4 of the people had been categorized as dwelling with obese or weight problems. Some 451 (72.5%) people had been of regular weight (BMI 18.5–24.99 kg/m2), 148 (23.8%) people had been with obese (25 kg/m2–29.9 kg/m2) and 23 (3.7%) had been with weight problems (30 kg/m2 and above).
Complete physique fats proportion (BF%) was measured utilizing twin X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans—recognized to be a extremely correct software for measuring physique composition—in accordance with age- and gender-specific cut-off factors. A BF% of 21% or above was categorised as obese and a BF% of 26% or above was categorised as weight problems.
Utilizing this technique, fewer than 4% of the people had been categorized as dwelling with obese or weight problems. Some 598 (96.1%) people had been of regular weight, 19 (3.1%) had been with obese and 5 (0.8%) had been with weight problems.
Professor El Ghoch, who led the research, says, “This demonstrates that the current BMI cut-off points are clearly flawed in determining weight status in athletes, as many of the athletes were misclassified as living with overweight or obesity, where, in reality, very few had body fat levels in this range.”
The researchers went on to make use of statistical modeling to establish extra correct BMI cut-off factors for younger male athletes. The brand new cut-offs, which bear in mind athletes’ decrease BF%, are 28.2 kg/m2 for obese and 33.7 kg/m2 for weight problems.
Examine co-author, Professor Chiara Milanese, of the College of Verona, explains, “Though DXA scans measure physique composition precisely, they don’t seem to be all the time out there in sports activities settings. In distinction, weight and top, the 2 measures wanted to calculate BMI, are simple to acquire and, with the brand new BMI cut-offs that we recognized, BMI may very well be a extremely great tool in sports activities golf equipment, each at coaching grounds and in competitions.
“A direct assessment of body composition remains the gold standard but, in its absence, we encourage sports organizations and committees to adopt the new BMI classification system.”
The authors add that a number of additional items of analysis are wanted. These embody figuring out new cut-offs for feminine athletes and, probably, particular cut-offs for various sports activities, significantly people who weren’t included within the present research.
Extra info:
Chiara Milanese et al, Revising BMI Lower-Off Factors for Chubby and Weight problems in Male Athletes: An Evaluation Based mostly on Multivariable Mannequin-Constructing, Vitamins (2025). DOI: 10.3390/nu17050908
Supplied by
European Affiliation for the Examine of Weight problems
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Analysis identifies new cut-off factors for obese and weight problems in male athletes (2025, April 18)
retrieved 18 April 2025
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