BMI, a common marker for obesity, may not be the best benchmark for Indian women. According to a study conducted by the state-run IPGMER (SSKM), even if their BMI is not in the overweight range, five out of ten young Indian women have a high body fat percentage. Additionally, the study revealed that at least 50 per cent of women with normal BMI suffered from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). The study, which sought to identify metabolic dysfunction in young women, highlighted the urgent need to reevaluate the way obesity and metabolic risk are measured in India. This was after discovering that many individuals had metabolic dysfunction even though their BMI was deemed acceptable or normal.
People are classified as underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese based on their BMI, which is also a commonly used metric to evaluate possible health concerns such as heart disease and metabolic disorders. The study was conducted by the endocrinology department at SSKM. Surprisingly, nearly 90 per cent of the 107 women medical students who participated, had a significant percentage of body fat, but only 40 per cent were deemed overweight based on BMI criteria. Given that a thin-fat phenotype is very frequent among Indians, the study used advanced body composition analysis (DXA) to illustrate how inadequate BMI is at capturing actual adiposity or the degree of body fat storage.
Our results highlight the urgent need to reevaluate our methods for determining metabolic risk, particularly for young women who may not exhibit traditional signs but are still at high risk. Despite being informed, medical students are not exempt from the metabolic changes brought about by contemporary urban life. 50 per cent of PCOS-afflicted women have a normal BMI. 24 per cent of participants had early symptoms of PCOS, and nearly 30 per cent had a PCOS diagnosis. PCOS, which is intimately linked to insulin resistance and future cardiovascular risk, is becoming more well acknowledged as an early indicator of metabolic issues.
The idea that PCOS mostly affects fat people is challenged by the fact that 50 per cent of patients with PCOS had a normal BMI. Additionally, the study found that PCOS participants had abnormalities in inflammatory markers, which may indicate underlying immunological dysfunction. This study urges proactive health programs that target young people in general, not only those who exhibit obvious signs of obesity.
According to the research team, this was the first study in India to use DXA scanning to evaluate young women's metabolic health and PCOS prevalence. In more than 58 per cent of patients, insulin resistance — a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes — was identified. Up to 25 per cent of people worldwide suffer from metabolic dysfunction, which is on the rise. Data on younger populations in India is lacking, particularly for women who are more likely than men to experience metabolic dysfunction.
Image source: TOI, Youth ki awaaz