December 09, 2025

Study: Dramatic Increase in Percentage of US Adults Who Meet New Definition of Obesity

7 minutes

Nearly 70% of U.S. adults now qualify as obese under a new definition that goes beyond body mass index (BMI) to include waist and hip measurements, exposing millions with hidden fat linked to higher disease risk
The new standard, developed by an international panel and endorsed by dozens of medical organizations, identifies both clinical obesity — where fat is already harming organs — and preclinical obesity, where fat-driven dysfunction is just beginning
Using the expanded criteria, researchers found a 60% surge in obesity prevalence, revealing that about 1 in 4 adults were reclassified as obese — mostly from the overweight group — while roughly 1 in 17 with a "normal" BMI carried hidden visceral fat that raises the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and early death
BMI alone fails to distinguish between fat and muscle or between safe subcutaneous fat and harmful visceral fat, meaning many healthy people are misclassified while those at real metabolic risk go undiagnosed
Measuring your waist-to-hip or waist-to-height ratio provides a far clearer picture of your metabolic health, empowering you to take early action — through healthy eating, reduced toxin exposure, and daily movement — to restore energy and prevent chronic disease

...more

By Dr. Mercola

4.6

14871,487 ratings

December 09, 2025

7 minutes

Nearly 70% of U.S. adults now qualify as obese under a new definition that goes beyond body mass index (BMI) to include waist and hip measurements, exposing millions with hidden fat linked to higher disease risk
The new standard, developed by an international panel and endorsed by dozens of medical organizations, identifies both clinical obesity — where fat is already harming organs — and preclinical obesity, where fat-driven dysfunction is just beginning
Using the expanded criteria, researchers found a 60% surge in obesity prevalence, revealing that about 1 in 4 adults were reclassified as obese — mostly from the overweight group — while roughly 1 in 17 with a "normal" BMI carried hidden visceral fat that raises the risk for diabetes, heart disease, and early death
BMI alone fails to distinguish between fat and muscle or between safe subcutaneous fat and harmful visceral fat, meaning many healthy people are misclassified while those at real metabolic risk go undiagnosed
Measuring your waist-to-hip or waist-to-height ratio provides a far clearer picture of your metabolic health, empowering you to take early action — through healthy eating, reduced toxin exposure, and daily movement — to restore energy and prevent chronic disease

...more