A new study from our research group reveals that people with a normal BMI may still face a significantly higher risk of diabetes and other cardiometabolic diseases. First author of the study is our previous team member, M.D. Rima Chakaroun, currently at Leipzig University. Together with co-authors, she has found that individuals with an unexpectedly high metabolic BMI (MetBMI) have up to five times greater risk compared to what their conventional BMI suggests.

Unlike traditional BMI, which only considers height and weight, MetBMI detects obesity-related metabolic changes—even in those of normal weight. The findings, published in Nature Medicine, highlight the need for more accurate tools to assess health risks beyond conventional BMI categories.

To the article in Nature Medicine: Multi-omic definition of metabolic obesity through adipose tissue–microbiome interactions

To the press release from the University of Gothenburg: Metabolic BMI reveals disease risk even in people of normal weight