As a result, countries such as China and Japan have set lower BMI overweight and obesity thresholds for people of Asian descent. Experts generally agree that BMI should not be the only measure to assess patients’ health and weight. Instead of relying on BMI, physicians and patients should consider other factors in the weight equation. It incorporates various groups’ risk factors for conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. “We do not plan to eliminate the BMI, but we plan to devise other strategies to evaluate the health associated with weight status,” said Stanford.

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