Scientists have developed an innovative tool that can predict the risk of developing diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer, paving the way for earlier and more accurate prevention.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and the Berlin Institute of Health have created a system called OBSCORE, which estimates the probability of developing 18 diseases related to overweight and obesity.
This tool is based on data from more than 200,000 participants from the UK Biobank and analyses over 2,000 health indicators, including blood tests, body measurements and lifestyle factors.
From these, the researchers identified 20 key indicators that help predict the risk of serious health complications.
Key factors include age, gender, smoking, family history of heart disease, as well as symptoms such as chest, abdominal, or joint pain.
Laboratory parameters such as blood sugar levels, cholesterol, liver and kidney function, blood pressure, and body fat distribution also play an important role.
According to researchers, OBSCORE provides a more complete picture of health risk compared to body mass index (BMI), as individuals with the same BMI can have very different risks for developing diseases.
In fact, many people identified as high risk turned out to be simply overweight and not obese, which shows the limitations of current assessment methods.
Experts consider this development an important step towards more effective management of obesity and prevention of its complications. However, they emphasize that further studies are needed to confirm the accuracy and clinical use of this tool in a wider population.
Obesity remains one of the major global public health challenges, linked to at least 13 types of cancer and a significant increase in type 2 diabetes, especially in young people. In this context, tools like OBSCORE can play a key role in early risk identification and improving prevention strategies. /GazetaExpress/
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