New Research Finds The Percentage Of United States Residents With “Metabolically Healthy Obesity” (MHO) Has Doubled Over The Past Two Decades
A collaborative study conducted by medical scientists from the Hubei University of Medicine and Huazhong University of Science and Technology recently found that the rate of U.S. residents living with “metabolically healthy obesity” (MHO) has increased over the past two decades.
Previous research has shown that a tiny number of people were classified as having MHO– in other words, being diagnosed with obesity while having no disorders that are generally linked to being overweight.
This means that people who have MHO do not need to worry about losing weight.
According to the updated research, though, the team discovered that the proportion of people living with MHO in the U.S. compared to the general population grew from 1999 to 2018.
These findings were the result of an analysis using NHANES data– research that was conducted by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics.
The team analyzed the survey response data of 20,430 people– 7,386 of whom were diagnosed with obesity.
And after looking at the nearly two decades’ worth of survey responses, the researchers noted that the proportion of people with MHO had doubled- rising from 3.2% in 1999 to 6.6% in 2018.
Individuals with MHO have a body mass index (BMI) of at least 30. They also show no evidence of high fasting glucose levels, changes in lipids, or high blood pressure.
It is still important to note, though, that the total number of people with MHO is still a small percentage of people with obesity.
Mego-studio – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Additionally, the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. increased significantly over this period– rising from 28.6% in 1999 to 40.9% in 2018.
In spite of this, the team did note that utilizing (BMI) as a standard measurement of obesity is not the most accurate way to diagnose the disease.
Instead, some patients may score higher on the BMI scale due to having more muscle mass or an above-average bone structure.
This led the researchers to suggest that medical professionals start using other diagnostic methods– including measuring hip and waist circumference as well as measuring height and weight.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has already recommended these methods be used as aids for diagnosing obesity in order to avoid misdiagnoses.
To read the study’s complete findings, which have since been published in JAMA Network Open, visit the link here.
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