Body-mass index fails to identify some as obese, mainly women

Many Americans, particularly women, are actually obese though they think their weight is healthy because of weaknesses in the body-mass index formula.

A study comparing people's BMIs to a blood test and body scan found that the height-to-weight ratio formula was wrong in half of women and 1 in 4 men.

"It's commonly acknowledged that the BMI can produce inaccurate results for athletes and others with a lot of muscle mass,"  Misti Crane reports for The Columbus Dispatch . "But this research illuminates a problem on the other end of the scale: people who think they're fine but are carrying a lot of fat and little muscle."

"Particularly women, as they age, their muscles become inserted with fat, even though they stay thin and beautiful in a dress," said Dr. Eric Braverman, a New York physician who co-wrote the study.

Braverman and co-author New York State Health Commissioner Nirav R. Shah propose that the BMI cutoff for determining obesity should be 24 for women and 28 for men. Now, it's 30 for both sexes. "They also say that doctors should consider blood tests to measure leptin, a hormone that goes up with increased body fat, and DXA scans. The scans are commonly used to assess bone density but can be used to analyze body fat," Crane reports.

Though experts know the BMI calculation is not perfect, there is one major advantage: It's free. "You have to understand that BMI is an estimate of fatness, it's not a measure of fatness. But there are very few screening-tool estimates we have that are as simple to use," said Dr. Patricia Choban, medical director of the bariatric-surgery problem at Mount Carmel West Hospital. (Read more)

Kentuckians think cancer is biggest threat to adults, but heart disease kills more men in the state

Cancer is the leading health concern identified by Kentuckians, and is the principal cause of death among women in the state, though heart disease is the main killer of Kentucky men, the Kentucky Health Issues Poll found.

Thirty-six percent of Kentucky adults identified cancer as the most important health issue for men, followed by heart disease at 31 percent, according to a news release for the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, which co-funded the poll. Heart disease was the leading cause of death for Kentucky men in 2009, followed closely by cancer.

Only about 7 percent of Kentuckians identified obesity as the top health issue facing Kentucky adults, but 29 percent said it was the greatest concern for children, perhaps reflecting considerable public attention to concern about child obesity. "While childhood mortality is rare, there are lifelong health implications that can be linked to struggling with obesity and diabetes at an early age," the release said.

“Even though the results suggest some confusion about our biggest health threats, there are ways to reduce Kentucky’s chronic disease risks: eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, stop smoking or don’t start,” said Dr. Susan Zepeda, CEO of the foundation, which co-sponsored the poll with the Institute for Policy Research at the University of Cincinnati. The poll interviewed a random sample of 1,677 adults, 1,469 by landline phones and 208 via cell phones. In 95 of 100 cases, the estimates are accurate within a 2.4 percent margin of error. To see the report, click here.