One in five people with a normal BMI could have obesity and the risks that go with it

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-10-18 02:00

Australia; NSW; VIC; QLD; WA

Photo by Siora Photography on Unsplash

Obesity and the health risks that go with it can be present even without a particularly high body weight, according to Australian researchers studying the prevalence of abdominal obesity in people who fall within the normal BMI height-to-weight ratio category. Using World Health Organization data on 471,228 people from across the world, the researchers estimated that 21.7% of people with a normal BMI had abdominal obesity, measured by their waist circumference. This type of obesity was most common in the Eastern Mediterranean region, the researchers say, and least common in the Western Pacific. Normal-weight abdominal obesity was linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and excess fat in the blood, the researchers add.

Attachments

Note: Not all attachments are visible to the general public. Research URLs will go live after the embargo ends.

Research JAMA, Web page The URL will go live after the embargo ends

Journal/
conference: JAMA Network Open

Research:Paper

Organisation/s: Charles Sturt University, Western Sydney University, The University of New South Wales, Macquarie University, Curtin University, The University of Queensland, The University of Sydney, The University of Newcastle, Monash University, Griffith University, Deakin University, Torrens University, Charles Darwin University

Funder: This work was funded by grant 4-DGEJZ1O/4-CW7UT14 from the Commonwealth of Australia, represented by the Department of Health.

Media Contact/s

Contact details are only visible to registered journalists.