PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A person's BMI (body mass index) is a simple calculation based on a person's height and weight and since the early 1990s, it has been used as a measure of so-called healthy and unhealthy weight.
However, it is not unusual for someone with a healthy BMI to come to a doctor's office with high blood pressure, prediabetes and elevated cholesterol. This is because BMI does not measure fat distribution.
A new report in the Journal of the American Medical Association suggests a different measurement—the BRI (body roundness index). In the BRI, weight isn't even part of the equation.
Waist circumference is measured and put into a formula to look at abdominal fat. This is the fat associated with heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes.
Get more medical reports from Dr. Brian McDonough.
KYW Newsradio's Medical Reports are sponsored by Independence Blue Cross.
