Ethnic-specific revisions of body mass index cutoffs to define overweight and obesity in Asians are not warranted

Abstract

Studies showing that Asians with a body mass index (BMI) at the high end of the 'normal' range are at increased risk of disease do not justify a different definition of obesity for that ethnic group without comparable data from Caucasians showing no similar increase in risk. The current BMI cutpoints for obesity are somewhat arbitrary, but there is value in a simple, uniform definition across populations. It seems prudent to separate the scientific construct of obesity from the politically linked, nationally specific BMI cutpoint used to trigger public health or clinical action.