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New Research Gifted at This Year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2025Malaga, Spain, 11–14 May) shows that the internationally recognized body mass index (BMI) Cut-off Points Greatly Overestimate Overweight and Obesity in Male Athlets. The Study, from Italy, also proposed new cut-off points forweight and obesity in this group.
The Study Has Been published In the Journal Nutrients.
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a key method for measuring people’s weight status, defining whether have normal weight, overweight or obesity. IT IS EASILY CALCULATED BY DIVIDING AN INDIVIDUAL’S WEIGHT IN KILOGRAMS BY THE SQUARE OF THEIR HEIGHT INS.
A BMI of 25 kg/m2 or above is an indicator of overweight and a bmi of 30 kg/m2 OR ABOVE PROTECTIONS OBESITY IN WHITE MEN AND WOMEN OF ALL AGES, ACCORDING TO THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION’S (WHO).
However, Some Research has found that this classification System may not be good at Identifying Overweight and Obesity in Athletes and its use in this group has long been subject to Criticism.
“Bmi Doesn’t Distinguish Between Body Fat and Lean Mass, Which includes Muscle,” Explains Professor Marwan El Ghoch, of the Department of Biomedical, Metabolic and Neural Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Modena, Italy.
“As A Result, the muscle Athlete With Low Body Fat Can Be Wrongly Classified as Living With Overweight or Obesity. Rack this, Many Sports Organizations Still Rely on the Traditional Bmi Classification System.”
In a New Study, Professor El Ghoch and Researchers from the University of Verona in Italy and Beirut University in Lebanon Set Out to Determine How Accurate The BMI Cut-Offs of 25 and 30 Kg/M2 Are at Identifying Overweight and Obesity in Male Athletes and, if they were found to be inacuracate, to Estabish Better Cut-Offs.
The Cross-Sectional Study Involved 622 Esils (Averag Age of 25.7 Years, BMI ≥ 20 kg/m2) Who Had Been Referred to the Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, of the University of Verona, Italy, and Participated In Sports Including Soccer, Rugby, Basketball, Volleyball, Cross-Fit, Karate and Others at the competitive level.
The Participants Were Categorized Using the Current BMI System and By Their Body Fat Percentage (BF%).
Using the Current Bmi System, more than quarter of the Individuals Were categorized as Living with Overweight or Obesity. Some 451 (72.5%) Individuals Were of Normal Weight (BMI 18.5–24.99 kg/m2), 148 (23.8%) Individuals Were With Overweight (25 kg/m2–29.9 kg/m2) and 23 (3.7%) Were with obesity (30 kg/m2 and above).
Total Body Fat Percentage (BF%) was measred dual x-ray absorptiometry (dxa) scans-known to be a highly accurate tool for measuring body composition –CCORDING TO AGE- and gender-specific cut-off pints. The BF% of 21% or above was classified as overweight and a bf% of 26% or above was classified as obesity.
Using This System, Fewer Than 4% of the Individuals Were Categorized As Living with Overweight or Obesity. Add 598 (96.1%) Individuals Were of Normal Weight, 19 (3.1%) Were With Overweight and Five (0.8%) Were with obesity.
Professor El Ghoch, Who Led the Study, Says, “This Demonstates That the Current Bmi Cut-Off Points Are Clearly Flaweed in Determination Weight Status in Athlets, As Many of the Athletes Were Misclassified As Living with Overweight or Obesity, Where, Reality, Very, Very FEW HAD BODY FAT LEVES IN THIS RANGE. “
The Researchers Went on To Use Statistical Modeling to Identify More Accurate Bmi Cut-off Points for Young Male Athletes. The New Cut-Offs, Which Take into Account Athletes’ Lower BF%, Are 28.2 kg/m2 forweight and 33.7 kg/m2 it is obesity.
Study Co-Author, Professor Chiara Milanese, of the University of Verona, Explains, “Although dxa Scans Measure Body Composition Accurately, They Are Not Always Available in Sports Settings. In Contrast, Weight and Height, The Two Measures Needed to Calculate BMI, Are Easy to obtain and, with the new Bmi Cut-Offs That We Identified, Bmi Could Be a Highly Useful Tool in Sports Clubs, Both at Training Grounds and In Competitions.
“The Direct Assessment of Body Composition Remains The Gold Standard But, in It Absence, We Encourage Sports Organizations and Committees to Adopt The New Bmi Classification System.”
The Authors Add That Severral Further Pieces of Research Are Needed. These include identifying new-cuts for female athletes and, potentially, Specific Cut-offs for Different Sports, Particularly Those That Were Not Included in the Current Study.
More information:
Chiara Milanese et al, Revising BMI Cut-Off Points for Overweight and Obesity in Male Athletes: An Analysis Based on Multivariable Bodel-Building, Nutrients (2025). DOI: 10.3390/NU17050908
Provided by European Association for the Study of Obesity
Citation: Research Identifies New Cut-Off Points for Overweight and Obesity in Male Athletes (2025, April 18) Retrieved 19 April 2025 from
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