I suspect you have heard about the body mass index (BMI). Should we forget body mass index?
The BMI considers your height-weight relationship as a health indicator.
I think body mass index is not a reliable marker of wellness.
A new measure, the Body Roundness Index, might better indicate cardiovascular disease development.
Today, I’ll explore the origins of the body mass index, its flaws, and a promising alternative (the body roundness index).
Body Mass Index Origins
First, let me define body mass index (BMI):
Body Mass Index (BMI) = weight in kilograms divided by height in square meters.
Lambert Adolphe Jacques Quetelet (1796–1874), a Belgian mathematician, sociologist, statistician, and astronomer, developed BMI in the 1830s.
Of course, Quetelet had no access to calculators or computers.
His BMI provided an easy-to-use simple system for categorizing weight.
And here we are in the modern era, still using this flawed measure.
I Don’t Like Using Body Mass Index
I think that body mass index (BMI)—based on a person’s height and weight—is an inaccurate measure of body fat content.
When I had my peak muscle mass, my body mass index suggested I was overweight.
But I was shredded. Ripped.
And yet, I scored as overweight.
Why is BMI Flawed?
The body mass index reports outcomes as follows:
BMI 18.5 to 25: Normal
BMI 25 to 30: Overweight
BMI 30 or more: Obese
Here’s why the body mass index is flawed:
BMI does not account for muscle mass, overall body composition, bone density, and sex and racial differences.
But Weight Matters
I know that individuals with an excessive body weight have a higher risk of suffering from chronic diseases, including:
- heart disease
- some cancer types
- type 2 diabetes
- sleep apnea
- arthritis
- liver and gallbladder diseases
BMI/Health Paradoxes
Did you know that a higher BMI may also protect from early mortality (as well as death following a stroke, heart failure, and diabetes)?
However, measures such as height-to-waist ratio do not provide much protection against such chronic conditions.
Put simply, when we use better body measures, the obesity paradox vanishes.
On the other hand, some who have a normal BMI are metabolically unhealthy and have a higher risk of premature death.
However, several studies have demonstrated that some individuals with obesity have lower cardiovascular risk and an improved metabolic profile, while a subset of “normal-BMI” people are metabolically unhealthy and have increased mortality risk.
BMI Creates Confusion: Am I Overweight?
Does the bodybuilding gym rat 5′ 8″ me, who weighed 165 at my peak building phase, have the same BMI as a couch sitter of the same height and weight?
Yes.
We are both overweight, having the BMI calculator registering 25.1.
In a letter to The Economist, Oxford University Numerical Analysis Professor Nick Trefethen explained that “BMI leads to confusion and misinformation.”
Is there a simple measuring approach that is better than BMI? One that doesn’t require taking blood from you?
Enter the body roundness index.
Defining Body Roundness Index
Previous studies showed that increased abdominal fat is a risk factor for adverse health conditions such as high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
BRI is based on waist circumference and height.
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This calculator allows you to determine your Body Roundness Index:
Body Roundness Index (BRI) Calculator | webFCE
Please visit our main website to see our full Health Risk Assessment that includes up to 17 additional anthropometric…webfce.com
Body Roundness Index and Cardiovascular Risk
Researchers recently examined the relationship between Body Roundness Index (BRI) trajectories and cardiovascular disease risk.
The study examined nearly 10,000 middle-aged and older Chinese volunteers in the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.
They excluded those with cardiovascular disease.
The researchers analyzed:
- Blood samples
- Blood pressure
- Lifestyle risk factors
- Body Roundness Index trajectories (BRI over time)
They looked at BRI and the incidence of stroke and cardiac events.
Body Roundness Index Study Details
Scientists divided study subjects into three Body Roundness Index trajectory categories:
- Low-stable
- Moderate-stable
- High-stable
Those in the high-stable BRI category were more likely to have certain characteristics, including diabetes, high blood pressure, male sex, and higher age.
They were less likely to smoke or drink.
Body Roundness Index Study Results
The study authors recorded just over 3,000 cardiac events (894 recorded deaths) from 2017 to 2020.
Those with a moderate-stable or high-stable Body Roundness Index (BRI) had a higher risk for cardiovascular disease (than those in the low-stable BRI trajectory group).
The moderate-stable group members had a 1.29 times higher risk for stroke (and a 1.4 times increased risk for cardiac events) than those in the low-stable group.
The high-stable group had a 1.46-fold increased risk for stroke and a 1.35 times increased risk for cardiac events than those in the low-stable group.
They also found that considering BRI trajectory helped with cardiovascular disease risk reclassification.
The results indicate that having BRI increase for a prolonged period increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and that it may be helpful to take BRI into account to prevent cardiovascular disease better.
My Take: Forget Body Mass Index?
A higher Body Roundness Index trajectory was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
The Body Roundness Index (BRI)is a predictive factor for cardiovascular disease incidence.
This study is the first large, well‐designed prospective one to analyze the body roundness index trajectories and the incidence of cardiovascular disease among middle‐aged and older Chinese people.
Using waist circumference and height, the Body Roundness Index better reflects (than the Body Mass Index) body fat distribution.
The current research investigation discovered an association between a higher body roundness index and increased cardiovascular disease risk.
What do you think of the Body Roundness Index, a novel heart disease and stroke risk indicator?
Thank you for reading “Forget Body Mass Index?“
