PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Body mass index, or BMI, has been used for years to link body size to health issues like heart disease and diabetes. BMI is built into much of our health care infrastructure — from the computer systems in your doctor's office to charts used by life insurance actuaries.
BMI relies on a person's height and weight but doesn't consider whether the weight is from muscle or fat and doesn't factor in body shape. New research suggests body roundness is much more accurate. The calculation is more difficult but "BRI," or body roundness index, adds your waist measurement into the mix.
The calculation rewards building muscle and penalizes carrying weight around the belly, which is generally considered unhealthy weight.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.



