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Pennington Biomedical Research Center, a leader in obesity research and treatment, recently played a pivotal role in reshaping how clinical obesity is understood. Three of its researchers served on the prestigious Lancet Commission on Clinical Obesity, a global initiative comprising 56 experts worldwide.
Executive Director and George A. Bray Jr. Endowed Super Chair in Nutrition Dr. John Kirwan; LSU Boyd Professor and Douglas L. Gordon Chair in Diabetes and Metabolism Dr. Eric Ravussin; and Director of the Metamor Institute and United Companies Life Insurance Co. and Mary Kay and Terrell Brown Chair Professor Dr. Philip Schauer—all esteemed Pennington Biomedical faculty—contributed significantly to the commission’s discussions. Their expertise was crucial in addressing the ongoing debate surrounding obesity as a disease and the limitations of current diagnostic methods.
The commission tackled the issue of misclassification and misdiagnosis inherent in defining obesity solely by Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI, while widely used, doesn’t directly measure body fat or its distribution, leading to inaccuracies.
