Looking beyond BMI: One in five adults with normal score have abdominal fat

Credit: Ahmet Yarali

By Olivia Bowthorpe

More than one in five adults worldwide who are a healthy weight have excess abdominal fat, putting them at higher risk of cardiometabolic disease, new research indicates.

The global analysis, based on data from 91 countries, found that 21.7% of adults with a normal body mass index (BMI) have abdominal obesity, defined as a waist circumference above 80cm for women and 94cm for men.1