Summary of What Is Your Biological BMI?:
Researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology have developed a biological body mass index (BMI) that is more diverse and informative than the traditional BMI formula. The new BMI is based on multi-omic profiling and measures more than 1,100 blood analytes, such as proteins and metabolites, genetic risk scores, and gut microbiome composition collected at various time points. The researchers generated machine learning models that led to more accurate predictive variations of a biological BMI than traditional measures of BMI alone. The study found that those classified as obese with a standard BMI but with a normal biological BMI were more biologically healthy and found it harder to lose weight. The researchers suggest that even if someone is not losing weight, they may be getting healthier biologically with positive lifestyle changes.
*****
Introducing the Biological Body Mass Index: A Revolutionary New Method
For decades, the body mass index (BMI) has been the go-to tool for physicians to classify individuals based on their height and weight compared to an average person. However, it falls short of accurately measuring an individual’s metabolic health. Fortunately, researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) have developed the biological body mass index, which offers a more precise, diverse, and actionable representation of metabolic health.
What is BMI?
BMI refers to measuring a person’s weight about their height. It is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by size in meters squared. Physicians use the result of this equation to classify individuals as underweight, average weight, overweight or obese. BMI is a crucial risk factor for chronic diseases like diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. However, the traditional BMI approach is often misleading and inaccurate.
The Limitations of Traditional BMI
Traditional BMI only considers the height and weight of an individual but doesn’t account for variations in their genetic makeup, gut microbiome, and metabolic health. As a result, about 30% of the population is misclassified using traditional BMI measures. Therefore, there is a need to develop more diverse, informative, and actionable methods of measuring metabolic health.
The Biological Body Mass Index Approach
The ISB researchers conducted multi-omic profiling by examining more than 1,100 blood analytes, genetic risk scores, and gut microbiome composition of 1,000 individuals enrolled in a wellness program. They then created machine learning models that generated more accurate predictive biological BMI measurements that are more diverse, informative, and actionable than traditional measures of BMI.
The Value of Biological BMI
Unlike traditional BMI, the biological BMI considers an individual’s metabolic health, gut microbiome composition, and genetic risk scores. The researchers made several significant findings, including:
– Individuals with a high biological BMI and normal traditional BMI were less healthy but could lose weight more quickly following a lifestyle intervention.
– Obese individuals with normal biological BMI were more biologically healthy but found it harder to lose weight.
– Biological BMI was more responsive to positive lifestyle changes and dropped earlier than traditional BMI.
The biological BMI approach can provide clinicians with more comprehensive insight into an individual’s metabolic health and assist in creating tailored interventions.
Conclusion
The introduction of the biological BMI approach represents a significant step toward personalized medicine. The approach accounts for a range of factors beyond traditional measures of BMI, enabling clinicians to better understand the complex relationships between obesity, metabolic health, and chronic diseases. Clinicians now have a more diverse, informative, and actionable tool to make more precise clinical recommendations, resulting in more effective interventions and treatments.
Comments are closed