
Mini Mikkipedia: Beyond BMI: Rethinking Obesity as a Chronic Condition
About this episode
Mikki takes a deep dive into BMI, obesity, and a major shift in how obesity is being redefined in the scientific and medical community. Drawing on a recent Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission report and new cohort data from the All of Us research program, she unpacks why BMI alone is an inadequate measure, how new definitions of preclinical and clinical obesity provide more nuance, and what this means for individuals, clinicians, and policymakers. This conversation highlights the importance of looking beyond the scale to understand true metabolic risk and the wider societal costs of obesity. Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of why obesity is being reframed as a chronic systemic condition—and why it matters for health outcomes and resource allocation.
Highlights:
- Why BMI falls short in measuring individual health risk.
- The Lancet Commission’s new framework redefining obesity as a chronic condition.
- Difference between preclinical vs clinical obesity.
- Study findings: 1 in 5 people with “normal BMI” may still be classified as obese under the new definition.
- Implications for clinicians, policy, and public health.
Contact Mikki:
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https://linktr.ee/mikkiwilliden
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