Almost 70% of US adults would be deemed obese based on new definition, study finds
Almost 70% of adults in the US would be deemed to have obesity based on a new definition, research suggests.The traditional definition of obesity, typically based on having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, has long been contentious, not least as it does not differentiate between fat and muscle.In an effort to tackle the issue, in January medical experts from around the world called for a new definition to be adopted.This would encompass people either with a BMI greater than 40; or those with a high BMI and at least one raised figure for measures such as waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, or waist-to-height ratio; or those with two such raised figures regardless of BMI; or those with direct measures of excess body fat based on scans.In addition, they said obesity should be split into two categories: clinical obesity – where there are signs of illness – and pre-clinical obesity, where there are not.
Now research suggests the revamped definition could result in a dramatic rise in the prevalence of obesity among adults in the US.Dr Lindsay Fourman, the first author of the study, from Mass General Brigham in the US, said the increase in obesity prevalence based on the new definition was striking, and was largely driven by people who would not have been considered to have obesity based on their BMI alone.“Recognising people with [this type of] obesity can lead to more accurate health risk stratification,” she said.“For example, someone with BMI 23 but excess abdominal fat could benefit from lifestyle interventions such as improving diet and increasing physical activity, even though their BMI is in the “normal” range.Their physician might also more closely monitor for obesity-related complications such as pre-diabetes or fatty liver.
”Writing in the journal Jama Network Open, Fourman and colleagues describe how they applied the traditional and new definitions of obesity to a nationally representative group of 301,026 participants, aged 18 to 80, who had enrolled in a US-based health study between the end of May 2017 and the end of September 2023.While traditional BMI-based criteria would mean 128,992, or 43%, of the participants were deemed to have obesity, the team found this increased by nearly 60% using the new definition, encompassing 206,361, or 69%, of participants.For those aged 70 years or older, prevalence under the new definition was 78%.Almost all those with obesity under the traditional definition also had obesity under the new definition, with only 678 participants no longer considered to have obesity.However, the new definition meant 78,047 participants who would not previously have been considered to have obesity based on BMI alone would be deemed to have the condition.
“Our data show that these individuals have a heightened risk of organ dysfunction and long-term health complications, suggesting that their classification as having obesity is clinically appropriate,” said Fourman.Of those deemed to have obesity without a high BMI, 48% had clinical obesity.For those who had obesity based on their BMI together with other measures, this figure was 56%.The researchers noted that while the prevalence of obesity under the new definition was similar between men and women, men showed a greater increase upon the use of the new definition, adding that while prevalence increased by a similar number of percentage points across racial groups, the greatest relative rise was among Asian individuals.Naveed Sattar, a professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow, who was not involved in the study, described it as thought-provoking and said further research was now needed, but noted that the newly proposed definition of obesity had yet to be adopted.
“Regardless of definitions, it’s clear that current obesity levels pose major challenges especially in high-income countries like the UK, with rising weight levels underscoring the urgent need for more effective strategies to support healthier living,” he said,
The gospel according to Peter Thiel: why the tech svengali is obsessed with the antichrist
Hello, and welcome to TechScape. For the past week, my brain has been marinating in billionaire Peter Thiel’s byzantine musings about the antichrist and Armageddon. At this point, I’m pickled.Why, you might ask, does it matter what a billionaire thinks about the antichrist? Good question!To help us understand, my colleagues Johana Bhuiyan, Dara Kerr and Nick Robins-Early have reported on a series of talks given by billionaire political svengali and tech investor Thiel:Over the past month, Thiel has hosted four lectures on the downtown waterfront of San Francisco philosophizing about who the antichrist could be and warning that Armageddon is coming. Thiel, who describes himself as a “small-o Orthodox Christian”, believes the harbinger of the end of the world could already be in our midst and that things such as international agencies, environmentalism and guardrails on technology could quicken its rise
Instagram to bring in version of PG-13 system to protect children, says Meta
Instagram is to adopt a version of the PG-13 cinema rating system to give parents stronger controls over their teenagers’ use of the social media platform.Instagram, which is run by Meta, will start applying rules similar to the US “parental guidance” movie rating – first introduced 41 years ago – to all material on Instagram’s teen accounts. It means users aged under 18 will automatically be placed into the 13+ setting. They will be able to opt out only with their parents’ permission.While the teen accounts already hide or prohibit the recommendation of sexually suggestive content, graphic or disturbing images, and adult content such as tobacco or alcohol, the new PG-13 version will tighten restrictions further
Bose QuietComfort Ultra 2 review: the most comfortable noise cancelling headphones
Bose has updated its top-of-the-line noise-cancelling headphones with longer battery, USB-C audio and premium materials, making the commuter favourites even better.The Guardian’s journalism is independent. We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link. Learn more.The second-generation QuietComfort Ultra headphones still have an expensive price tag, from £450 (€450/$450/A$700), which is more than most competitors, including Sony’s WH-1000XM6
What does the end of free support for Windows 10 mean for its users?
From Tuesday Microsoft will no longer offer free support as standard for Windows 10, an operating system that is used by millions of computer and laptop owners around the world.Figures for September suggest four in 10 of those using Microsoft Windows worldwide were still using Windows 10, despite the introduction of its successor, Windows 11, in 2021.After 14 October 2025, Microsoft will no longer provide standard free software updates, security fixes or technical assistance to Windows 10 PCs.This means computers running the software will still work but it will steadily become more vulnerable to viruses and malware as bugs and security holes are discovered.Microsoft says the more up-to-date system, Windows 11, “meets the current demands for heightened security by default”
Cyber-attacks rise by 50% in past year, UK security agency says
“Highly significant” cyber-attacks rose by 50% in the past year and the UK’s security services are now dealing with a new nationally significant attack more than every other day, figures from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) have revealed.In what officials described as “a call to arms”, national security officials and ministers are urging all organisations, from the smallest businesses to the largest employers, to draw up contingency plans for the eventuality that “your IT infrastructure [is] crippled tomorrow and all your screens [go] blank”.The NCSC, which is part of GCHQ, said “highly sophisticated” China, “capable and irresponsible” Russia, Iran and North Korea were the main state threats, in its annual review published on Tuesday. The rise is being driven by ransomware attacks, often by criminal actors seeking money, and society’s increasing dependence on technology which increases the number of hackable targets.The chancellor, Rachel Reeves, the security minister, Dan Jarvis, and the technology and business secretaries, Liz Kendall and Peter Kyle have written to the leaders of hundreds of the largest British companies urging them to make cyber-resilience a board-level responsibility and warning that hostile cyber-activity in the UK has grown “more intense, frequent and sophisticated”
Equity threatens mass direct action over use of actors’ images in AI content
The performing arts union Equity has threatened mass direct action over tech and entertainment companies’ use of its members’ likenesses, images and voices in AI content without permission.The warning came as the union said growing numbers of its members had made complaints about infringements of their copyright and misuse of their personal data in AI material.Its general secretary, Paul W Fleming, said it planned to coordinate data requests en masse to companies to force them to disclose whether they used members’ data in AI-generated material without consent.Last week the union confirmed its was supporting a Scottish actor who believes her image was used in the creation of the “AI actor” Tilly Norwood, which has been widely condemned by the film industry.Briony Monroe, 28, from East Renfrewshire, said she believed that an image of her face had been used to make the digital character, created by the AI “talent studio” Xicoia, which has denied her claims
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