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Iraqi News
19-04-2025
- Health
- Iraqi News
Research identifies new cut-off points for overweight and obesity in male athletes
INA-sources New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025, Malaga, Spain, 11–14 May) shows that the internationally recognized body mass index (BMI) cut-off points greatly overestimate overweight and obesity in male athletes. The study, from Italy, also proposes new cut-off points for overweight and obesity in this group. The study has been published in the journal Nutrients. Body mass index (BMI) is a key method for measuring people's weight status, defining whether they have normal weight, overweight or obesity. It is easily calculated by dividing an individual's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters. A BMI of 25 kg/m 2 or above is an indicator of overweight and a BMI of 30 kg/m 2 or above indicates obesity in white men and women of all ages, according to the World Health Organization's (WHO) categorization system. However, some research has found that this classification system may not be good at identifying overweight and obesity in athletes and its use in this group has long been subject to criticism. "BMI doesn't distinguish between body fat and lean mass, which includes muscle," explains Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University 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 new study, Professor El Ghoch and researchers from the University of Verona in Italy and Beirut University in Lebanon set out to determine how accurate the BMI cut-offs of 25 and 30 kg/m 2 are at identifying overweight and obesity in male athletes and, if they were found to be inaccurate, to establish better cut-offs. The cross-sectional study involved 622 males (average age of 25.7 years, BMI ≥ 20 kg/m 2) who had been referred to the Department of Neurosciences, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, of the University of Verona, Italy, and participated in sports including soccer, rugby, basketball, volleyball, cross-fit, karate and others at a competitive level. The participants were categorized using the current BMI system and by their body fat percentage (BF%). Using the current BMI system, more than a quarter of the individuals were categorized as living with overweight or obesity. Some 451 (72.5%) individuals were of normal weight (BMI 18.5–24.99 kg/m 2), 148 (23.8%) individuals were with overweight (25 kg/m 2 –29.9 kg/m 2) and 23 (3.7%) were with obesity (30 kg/m 2 and above). Total body fat percentage (BF%) was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans—known to be a highly accurate tool for measuring body composition—according to age- and gender-specific cut-off points. A BF% of 21% or above was classified as overweight and a BF% of 26% or above was classified as obesity. Using this system, fewer than 4% of the individuals were categorized as living with overweight or obesity. Some 598 (96.1%) individuals were of normal weight, 19 (3.1%) were with overweight and five (0.8%) were with obesity. Professor El Ghoch, who led the study, 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 use statistical modeling to identify more accurate BMI cut-off points for young male athletes. The new cut-offs, which take into account athletes' lower BF%, are 28.2 kg/m 2 for overweight and 33.7 kg/m 2 for obesity. Study co-author, Professor Chiara Milanese, of the University of Verona, explains, "Although DXA scans measure body composition accurately, they are not always available in sports settings. In contrast, weight and height, the two measures needed to calculate BMI, are easy to obtain and, with the new BMI cut-offs that we identified, BMI could be a highly useful tool in sports clubs, both at training 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 several further pieces of research are needed. These include identifying new cut-offs for female athletes and, potentially, specific cut-offs for different sports, particularly those that were not included in the current study.
Telegraph
18-04-2025
- Health
- Telegraph
Why athletes need higher BMI thresholds
Athletes should be set far higher BMI thresholds to allow for their extra muscle, experts have concluded. Research found that standard measurements exaggerate whether those of a sporty disposition are overweight. The study of more than 600 young male athletes – all of whom took part in competitive sports – classed more than one quarter as obese or overweight, judged by their body mass index (BMI). When scientists used scans, which measure body composition, it was found that fewer than 4 per cent fell into this category. The study, led by Italian researchers, then used statistical modelling to create more accurate BMI cut-off points for those with athletic habits. Among athletes, the threshold for overweight raised from a BMI of 25 kg/m2 to 28.2 kg/m2, while for obesity it shifted from 30 kg/m2 to 33.7 kg/m2. Researchers from the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia said the best way to measure body composition was to use a dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan. But in the absence of this, athletes should be classed on higher BMI thresholds, they said. 'Wrongly classified' The research, to be presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity in Malaga, follows a long debate about the use of BMI to spot excess fat in those with high levels of muscle. Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the university's department of biomedical, metabolic and neural sciences, said: 'BMI doesn't distinguish between body fat and lean mass, which includes muscle. 'As a result, a muscular athlete with low body fat can be wrongly classified as being in the overweight or obese range. Despite this, many sports organisations still rely on the traditional BMI classification system.' The cross-sectional study involved 622 males, whose average age was 25.7 years, and who took part in sports including football, rugby, basketball, volleyball, cycling, cross-fit, karate and triathlon at a competitive level. The participants were categorised using the current BMI system and by their body fat percentage. Using the current BMI system, more than a quarter of the individuals were categorised as overweight or obese. While 72.5 per cent of cases were of normal weight, 23.8 per cent were overweight and 3.7 per cent were obese. 'Cut-off points are clearly flawed' Total body fat percentage was measured using dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scans – known to be a highly accurate tool for measuring body composition – according to age- and gender-specific cut-off points. Body fat of 21 per cent or above was classified as overweight and body fat of 26 per cent or above was classified as obesity. Using this system, 96.1 per cent of individuals were classed as of normal weight, 3.1 per cent were deemed overweight and just 0.8 per cent were classed as obese. The findings were published in the journal Nutrients. Professor El Ghoch, who led the study, 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.' Study co-author, Professor Chiara Milanese, of the University of Verona, said: 'Although DXA scans measure body composition accurately, they are not always available in sports settings. In contrast, weight and height, the two measures needed to calculate BMI, are easy to obtain and, with the new BMI cut-offs that we identified, BMI could be a highly useful tool in sports clubs, both at training grounds and in competitions. 'A direct assessment of body composition remains the gold standard but, in its absence, we encourage sports organisations and committees to adopt the new BMI classification system.' Researchers said more studies were needed to identify new cut-offs for female athletes and, potentially, specific cut-offs for different sports, particularly those that were not included in the current study. Body mass index (BMI) is a method used for measuring people's weight status, defining whether they are normal weight, overweight or obese. It is easily calculated by dividing an individual's weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. A BMI of 25 kg/m2 or above is an indicator of overweight and a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or above indicates obesity in white men and women of all ages, according to the World Health Organisation's (WHO) categorisation system. However, several experts have said that waistlines are a better marker of health risks. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says that people should check their waistline and keep it to less than half their height, to stay in good health. It follows warnings that abdominal fat carries specific health risks, such as Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
