Body roundness index ( BRI ) and obesity‐related anthropometrics: Relationship to visceral adiposity, insulin sensitivity index and cardiometabolic risk
Abstract
Aims: Visceral adiposity is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Traditional anthropometric measures like body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) have limited accuracy, while a newer measure, body roundness index (BRI), is touted as being a better predictor of visceral adiposity but requires further validation. The aim of this study is to compare BRI with other traditional metrics of adiposity: WC, BMI and percentage (%) body fat, visceral adiposity and insulin sensitivity among the multiethnic cohorts in Asia. Materials and Methods: This was a cross‐sectional study of 264 young, healthy and normoglycemic adult males (101 Chinese, 85 Malay, 82 South Asian) with ages of 28.4 ± 6.0, 27.6 ± 5.1 and 26.0 ± 4.8 years. Anthropometric measures (BMI, WC, WHR, BRI), bioimpedance analysis (for percentage body fat), MRI‐measured visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue (VAT, SAT), and hyperinsulinaemic‐euglycaemic clamp for insulin sensitivity index (ISI) were assessed. Results: BRI correlated significantly with VAT ( r = 0.72), SAT ( r = 0.85), and ISI ( r = −0.51), but performed similarly to BMI, WC and percentage body fat. BRI showed consistent results across ethnic groups, with the highest VAT correlation in Malays ( r = 0.76). Percentage body fat measured by bioimpedance was as effective as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in predicting adiposity, while WHR had the weakest correlation with VAT. Conclusions: BRI, while strongly correlated with visceral adiposity and ISI, does not outperform simpler measures like WC or percentage body fat. Bioimpedance, being non‐invasive, demonstrates utility in assessing visceral adiposity in clinical settings. Ethnic‐specific thresholds for BRI and WC may improve precision in obesity‐related health assessments.
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Research works printed but not linked: 1
- World Health Organization, 2011, Waist Circumference and Waist‐Hip Ratio: Report of a WHO Expert Consultation
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- Authors
- Eng, P. C., Teo, A. E. D., Leow, M. K. S., Tai, E. S., & Khoo, C. M.
- Affiliations
- National University Hospital (SG)
- National University of Singapore (SG)
- Agency for Science, Technology and Research (SG)
- Corresponding author
- Eng, Pei Chia
- Venue
- Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2025-07-14
- Volume
- 27
- Issue
- 10
- Pages
- 5554-5565
- ISSN
- 1462-8902 (ISSN-L)
- 1463-1326
- OpenAlex
- W4412387287
- Semantic Scholar
- ae8fe40b507224ab99a220d5fe427afe8b0445bc
- Cited by
- 22
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 19 · 2025: 3
- FWCI
- 11.73
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Licence
- Locations
- Diabetes Obesity and Metabolism (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Medical Research Council
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Body Composition Measurement Techniques
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism › Diabetes, Cardiovascular Risks, and Lipoproteins
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Cardiovascular Disease and Adiposity
- Keywords
- body roundness index, visceral fat, subcutaneous adipose tissue, insulin sensitivity, cardiometabolic risk, anthropometric measures, waist circumference, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio, body fat percentage, bioelectrical impedance analysis, ethnic differences, young adults, multi-ethnic Asian population
- MeSH terms
- Cardiometabolic Risk Factors, Adult, Anthropometry, Cardiovascular Diseases, Cross-Sectional Studies, Humans, Insulin Resistance, Malaysia, Male, Obesity, Body Mass Index, Waist-Hip Ratio, Intra-Abdominal Fat, Adiposity, Waist Circumference, Young Adult, Obesity, Abdominal
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