Far more adults in the United States could be considered obese under a new definition that proposes adding body fat and health conditions to body mass index (BMI) numbers.

In a study published Monday, a team of researchers from Harvard University, Yale New Haven Health, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center reported that the new definition, which includes additional body measurements, could mean that 75% of adults meet the criteria for obesity, compared to 40% when using BMI alone, reports ABC News.

The study centers on a determination by the Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology Commission, a partnership between the medical journal and the health clinic King's Health Partners Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity, which proposed redefining obesity criteria to include waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and waist-to-height ratio.

The study's authors noted that more than 70 medical organizations worldwide endorsed the definition, but had not evaluated its use in practice.

"BMI is the standard measure for determining criteria for obesity. It's the most widely known metric," Dr. Erica Spatz, a cardiologist at Yale School of Medicine and co-author of the new study, said.

Measuring BMI alone does not account for adipose tissue, Spatz added.

The tissue, which insulates organs, stores energy, and produces hormones that regulate appetite, is less visible than other types of body fat, but "is more associated with high blood pressure, diabetes, and heart disease."

In their study, published in JAMA Network Open, the team examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, a national survey run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which measures health for children and adults in the United States.

Data was examined from more than 14,000 participants representing 237.7 million adults between 2017 and 2023, applying the new criteria, and the team found that an estimated 75.2% of U.S. adults met the obesity criteria with the new method and just 40% when determining BMI alone.

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford, an associate professor of medicine and pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, said the findings show the significant issue obesity presents.

"We do have a major problem," said Stanford, who was not part of the team in the report. "Obesity is by far the most significant chronic disease in human history ... we need to be doing a better job of treating it, make sure that we have the clinicians that are trained to identify not only obesity itself, but the over 230 chronic diseases associated with it, and making sure that we have a healthier society."

• Weight-Loss Pills Could Spur Food Product Overhauls
• GOP Aims to Bring Back Presidential Fitness Test