{"id":170633,"date":"2025-08-06T15:13:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-06T21:13:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/?p=170633"},"modified":"2025-08-25T15:25:21","modified_gmt":"2025-08-25T21:25:21","slug":"obese-child","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tecscience.tec.mx\/en\/health\/obese-child\/","title":{"rendered":"A New Way to Diagnose Obesity in Children, Beyond a Simple Math Formula"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

For generations, doctors and healthcare providers have relied on a simple equation\u2014weight divided by height squared\u2014to assess whether a child is overweight or obese. But a new study led by Mexican researchers is challenging that approach<\/a>, calling on the medical community to rethink how we protect children\u2019s health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The research was inspired by a recent report from The Lancet & Endocrinology Commission<\/strong>, where an international group of scientists proposed modernizing how we classify weight-related metabolic disorders<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead of labeling people as \u201cnormal weight,\u201d \u201coverweight,\u201d or \u201cobese,\u201d they suggest a new system: metabolically healthy, preclinical obesity, and clinical obesity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The authors also propose going beyond BMI<\/a> by including measurements of muscle mass and metabolic markers\u2014such as blood glucose levels\u2014to determine better whether a person, especially a child, has a metabolic condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\r\n \r\n \"\"\r\n <\/picture><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

BMI is Simple, But Often Misleading
<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

BMI is calculated by dividing a person\u2019s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared<\/strong>. For adults, that number directly places them in a category. For children, it\u2019s compared to standardized growth charts based on age and sex.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But here\u2019s the problem: BMI can\u2019t distinguish fat from muscle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSome people score high on BMI, but they\u2019re not actually obese,\u201d explains Cipatli Ayuzo<\/a>, a pediatrician and researcher at TecSalud<\/a> and Hospital Zambrano Helli\u00f3n. \u201cThink about athletes like Canelo \u00c1lvarez or The Rock\u2014they have a lot of muscle mass.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new study, which Ayuzo co-authored, proposes a more complete method for evaluating metabolic health in children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n