The Body Mass Index (BMI) has a new challenger: the Body Roundness Index (BRI). The disadvantage of the BMI is that it only relates weight to height. It is therefore unsuitable for muscular people, because muscles weigh more than fat. According to their BMI of 30 and more, both Arnold Schwarzenegger and Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson would clearly be overweight or obese.
The BRI provides a measure for assessing body shape and health risk based on height and waist circumference. It aims to measure the roundness of the body and provides a more accurate assessment of fat distribution. A higher BRI indicates a rounder body shape and a higher risk of cardiovascular disease – a recent publication highlights it as a particularly good indicator of health risks. However, it is actually based on an article that was published in 2013.
Other BMI alternatives such as WHR (waist-to-hip ratio) and WtHR (waist-to-height ratio) are already pointing in the same direction. However, BRI is a more advanced index that takes into account overall body roundness. And WHR and WtHR have not yet received any truly resounding recognition.
It is to be feared that the BRI will not lead to a better understanding, at least for ‘normal people’. We once tried out calculators on the websites of health insurance companies and received the following health information for a presumably average Anna Musterfrau (1.65 metres tall, 46 years old, 69 kilograms, size 42 – here waist size 78/hip size 102 cm):
BMI: You have a BMI of 25.34. You are slightly to moderately overweight.
WtHR: Your Waist-to-Height Ratio: 0.47. Great, your weight is within the normal range. With two more years of life (48), however, the result is: You are underweight and should not lose any more weight.
WHR: Your WHR value is: 0.76. Your risk of coronary heart disease is 2.32x higher.
BRI: Your Body Roundness Index (BRI) is: 2.86. This is a very slim body shape and indicates a relatively narrow waist and a very slim build.
Pretty confusing, isn’t it?