Measuring a person's waist may help calculate their risk of death from obesity, study says
BOSTON - A new study finds there may be a more accurate way to calculate a patient's risk of death from obesity, and it involves measuring a person's waist.
Obesity, especially visceral or belly fat, is a known risk factor for premature death. A common measure of obesity, the Body Mass Index or BMI, does not indicate specifically where fat is distributed in the body.
Researchers in China are now looking at the Body Roundness Index or BRI, which takes into consideration a person's waist circumference as well as their height and weight.
The study examined data on nearly 33,000 U.S. adults and found that those with the lowest and highest Body Roundness Indices experienced a significantly higher risk of death from all causes.
Experts say say calculating a patient's BRI could be used as a non-invasive screening tool to assess mortality risk.