80 cm for women, 90 for men: Researchers find new measure for obesity in India and it has nothing to do with your weight

economictimes.indiatimes.com:

BMI) to waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio. According to a study published in Elsevier, individuals may be classified as obese even with a normal BMI if their waist measurements exceed specific thresholds.

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Revised Obesity Standards for Indians

The updated obesity standards, developed by a team from the National Diabetes, Obesity, and Cholesterol Foundation (NDOC), Fortis CDOC Hospital for Diabetes and Allied Sciences, and AIIMS Delhi, set abdominal obesity benchmarks at 80 cm for women and 90 cm for men. A waist-to-height ratio above 0.5 is also considered indicative of obesity. These measures are preferred over the traditional waist-to-hip ratio.

The new classification aims to address health risks commonly associated with abdominal obesity in Asian Indians, such as cardiovascular diseases, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and obstructive sleep apnea.

Addressing obesity-related health risks

The revised guidelines, aligned with global standards published in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology, replace the 2009 criteria, which relied exclusively on BMI. Studies show that BMI alone often fails to capture obesity-related risks in Asian Indians.

Two-stage classification system introduced

The guidelines introduce a two-tier obesity classification system, starting with a BMI above 23 kg/m². Stage