While body mass index (BMI) has long been a go-to measure of a person’s health, used by doctors and health insurers alike, a new approach is taking hold.
Body roundness index, or BRI, is gaining prominence as a way of predicting one’s health risk by taking into account more than just a person’s height and weight, which are the sole factors used to determine BMI, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Here are five questions answered about BRI and why it’s being used with increasing frequency.
1. What is body roundness index?
Body roundness index takes into account a person’s height and waist circumference to determine whether they are in a healthy or unhealthy sphere, according to Maya Feller, a registered dietitian and nutritionist.
A study published in June in JAMA Network Open described BRI as an evidence-backed tool for more accurately determining a person’s mortality risk.
2. How do I calculate my own BRI?
BRI is calculated using a mathematical formula: 364.2 − 365.5 × √(1 − [waist circumference in centimeters / 2π]2 / [0.5 × height in centimeters]2, according to the study.
There are online calculators where you can enter your height and waist and hip measurements to determine your BRI.
In this undated stock photo, a diabetologist doctor measures a patient’s waist.
STOCK PHOTO/Getty Images
Once your measurements are entered, you will see a number and whether that puts you in or out of the “healthy zone.”
3. What are the criticisms of BRI?
According to Feller, one criticism of BRI is that it favors a certain body type.
“The challenge with the BRI is that it really favors more slender bodies, and it says that, okay, rounder bodies are not as ‘healthy,'” Feller said.
4. What is wrong with using BMI?
BMI is still a go-to determinant of health used by medical providers.
Some critics, though, argue that BMI does not take into account a person’s body composition because it only measures weight and height, according to Feller.
With BMI, a person is categorized as either underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese.
Last year, the American Medical Association said in a policy announcement that BMI does not account for racial, sex, age ethnic and gender diversity.
“It doesn’t take body composition into consideration,” Feller said. “So someone who’s very muscular might wrongly be put in the overweight or obese category, and that’s just not okay.”
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5. What are other ways to check my health status?
Feller noted that while BRI and BMI can be useful, she recommends relying on tests that measure a person’s internal health rather than their weight or measurements.
“I always like to check the insides,” Feller said. “You can look as wonderful as you want on the outside, but what’s happening with your lipids? What’s happening with your blood pressure, your blood sugars? Those are the things that I want to see.”
Body Roundness Index (BRI) is a relatively new measurement that has been proposed as an alternative to the traditional Body Mass Index (BMI) for assessing body composition and overall health. While BMI has long been used as a quick and easy way to determine if someone is underweight, normal weight, overweight, or obese, it has its limitations. BRI seeks to address some of these limitations and provide a more accurate assessment of body fat distribution and health risks.
BMI is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared. While this calculation can give a general idea of whether someone is at a healthy weight for their height, it does not take into account factors such as muscle mass, bone density, or where fat is distributed on the body. This means that someone with a high muscle mass, for example, may be classified as overweight or obese based on their BMI, even though they are actually quite healthy.
BRI, on the other hand, takes into account not only weight and height but also waist circumference and hip circumference. These measurements are used to calculate a person’s body roundness, which is a more accurate indicator of body fat distribution than BMI alone. A higher BRI indicates a greater amount of abdominal fat, which is associated with an increased risk of health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Research has shown that BRI may be a better predictor of health risks than BMI. A study published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that BRI was more strongly correlated with insulin resistance, a key factor in the development of type 2 diabetes, than BMI. Another study published in the journal PLOS One found that BRI was a better predictor of mortality risk in older adults than BMI.
While BRI shows promise as a more accurate measure of body fat distribution and health risks than BMI, it is not yet widely used in clinical practice. More research is needed to determine the best way to calculate BRI and to establish standardized cutoff points for different levels of body roundness. In the meantime, individuals who are concerned about their weight and health may want to consider discussing BRI with their healthcare provider as an alternative to BMI.
In conclusion, Body Roundness Index is a new measurement that takes into account both weight and height as well as waist and hip circumference to provide a more accurate assessment of body fat distribution and health risks than BMI alone. While more research is needed to establish its validity and usefulness in clinical practice, BRI shows promise as a potentially better alternative to BMI for assessing overall health and risk of chronic diseases.
