Instead of using the controversial body mass index, or BMI, to assess weight, an international group of scientists proposes an approach that looks at how excess body fat affects health

A new report says only using BMI to determine if a patient has obesity leads to under-diagnosing people who are ill and over-diagnosing people who don't currently deal with the negative health consequences of obesity.

When the issue is obesity, the questions are many, and the routes to answers anything but straight. What is abundantly clear is a need for consensus on two foundational matters: What is a useful definition for obesity?