A recently published study suggests that an index of body “roundness” may be a better measure of health than body mass index (BMI).
The paper, called “Body Roundness Index and All-Cause Mortality Among American Adults,” was published this month in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). Promotes the use of the body roundness index (BRI), which was created in 2013.
BMI, which has been the standard for measuring obesity since the 1980s, is calculated by dividing a person's weight by the square of their height in feet. It was first developed by Belgian mathematician Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet in the 19th century.
On the BMI scale, anything less than 18.5 is considered underweight. A BMI between 25 and 30 is considered overweight and a BMI greater than 30 is considered obese.
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A new study promotes the use of body roundness index (BRI) instead of body mass index (BMI). (iStock)
Although BMI is the standard way to measure obesity, it has its drawbacks. For example, because muscle packs on pounds, a healthy, muscular person who weighs a certain amount could be considered overweight or obese based on BMI.
BRI, on the other hand, is calculated using height and weight circumference, rather than just height and weight. BRI scores are also determined by using a more complicated mathematical equation.
“In addition to weight and height, BRI also takes into account waist circumference and may therefore more fully reflect the distribution of visceral fat,” the study explains.
According to the study, BRI was found to be a more effective way to measure mortality in a group of patients.
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BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight by the square of their height in feet. (iStock)
“BRI was found to be superior to other anthropometric indicators in estimating the risk of various clinical endpoints, including cardiometabolic diseases, kidney diseases, and cancer,” the study stated.
The researchers also said their findings suggested that BRI “may show promise as a newer anthropometric measure associated with all-cause mortality.”
“Our findings provide compelling evidence for the application of BRI as a non-invasive and readily available screening tool for mortality risk estimation and identification of high-risk individuals, a novel concept that could be incorporated into public health practice.” awaiting consistent validation in other independent studies,” the article concludes.
The American Medical Association (AMA) has targeted BMI in the past. Last year, a WADA report called the use of BMI “flawed” and “problematic” and claimed it has been used for “racist exclusion.”
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BRI uses height and weight circumference, rather than just height and weight. (iStock)
“BMI limits are based on the imagined ideal of Caucasian people and [do] Do not consider a person's gender or ethnicity,” said a report presented at the 2023 WADA Annual Meeting.
Fox News contributor Dr. Marc Siegel criticized the allegations, calling the criticism “politics, not medicine.”
“I didn't think the AMA was going to get involved in cancel culture, but now they're canceling BMI, which is what I'm looking for to at least get me started in the direction of obesity,” Siegel said. .
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The recent study claims that BRI was a more effective way to assess people's health. (iStock)
“It's not racist; it's called good medicine.”
Fox News Digital's Melissa Rudy contributed to this report.
