For young Indian women, BMI not an accurate tool to indicate obesity, says SSKM study; 50% with ‘normal’ show PCOS risk
Times of India | 25 August 2025
KOLKATA: Body mass index (BMI) - popularly seen as a marker for obesity - might not be the ideal standard, especially for Indian women. A study by state-run IPGMER (SSKM) has said that five in every 10 young Indian women have high body fat percentage, even if their BMI is not within the 'overweight' range. Also, at least 50% of women with 'normal' BMI were found to be struggling with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
The study, aimed at finding metabolic dysfunction among young women, emphasised an urgent need to reconsider how obesity and metabolic risk are assessed in India after it found a good number of participants showing metabolic dysfunction despite having BMI that is considered normal. | Gold Rates Today in Kolkata | Silver Rates Today in KolkataBMI is used to categorise individuals as 'underweight', 'normal weight', 'overweight', or 'obese' and the standard is used widely to assess potential health risks like metabolic disorders and heart diseases.
SSKM's endocrinology department conducted the study on 107 women medical students, and surprisingly, almost 90% participants showed high body fat percentage while only 40% were classified as 'overweight' by BMI standards. Using advanced body composition analysis (DXA), the study highlighted the inadequacy of BMI in capturing true adiposity - degree of body fat accumulation - given that a thin-fat phenotype is pretty common among Indians.
"Our findings emphasise the urgent need to reconsider how we assess metabolic risk, especially among young women who may not show conventional signs but remain at high risk. Even medical students, though informed, are not immune to the metabolic shifts of modern urban life," said Sujoy Ghosh, professor of endocrinology.‘BMI normal in 50% of those with PCOS’Nearly 30% participants were diagnosed with PCOS, and an additional 24% showed early signs of the disorder. PCOS is being increasingly recognised as an early marker of metabolic trouble, closely tied to insulin resistance and future cardiovascular risk.“Surprisingly, 50% of those with PCOS had a normal BMI, challenging the misconception that PCOS primarily affects obese individuals. The study also observed imbalances in inflammatory markers among PCOS cases, suggesting underlying immune dysfunction. This study calls for proactive health policies targeting youth — not just those with visible obesity,” said Sujoy Ghosh, professor of endocrinology. The research team claimed that this was the first Indian study to assess metabolic health and PCOS prevalence in young women using DXA scanning. Insulin resistance — a precursor to Type 2 diabetes — was detected in over 58% participants.“Metabolic dysfunction is on the rise globally, affecting up to 25% of the population. In India, data is scarce in younger populations, especially in females who otherwise are at higher risk of metabolic dysfunction than males,” Ghosh said.