Out with BMI, in with BRI
For years, healthy-weight guidelines have relied on BMI (body mass index), but recently it has been (rightly) criticized because a truly fit person can have a high BMI that proclaims he or she as a health disaster zone (muscle weighs more than fat). And two people with the same BMI at any level can have very different percentages of body fat, and it can be distributed across the body in very different locations. That realization led the American Medical Association to adopt a new policy in 2023 encouraging doctors to avoid relying on BMI alone to diagnose obesity.
Now, researchers have proposed using the BRI -- Body Roundness Index -- instead. It puts waist circumference into the equation, because visceral belly fat powerfully increases risks for heart attacks, strokes, cancer, kidney disease and dementia. We "YOU Docs" have advocated this for years; see "YOU: The Owner's Manual to Waist Management," now in its third edition.
As researchers work to develop a BRI chart, you can use the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendations for waist size as a guide to a healthy BRI: 35 inches or less for women; 40 inches or less for men. To correctly measure your waist: Stand up. Place a tape measure around your middle at your belly button. Keep the tape snug but not compressing the skin. Measure your waist after you breathe out, sucking in your belly.
For help losing visceral belly fat, sign up for the free newsletter at LongevityPlaybook.com. And enjoy iHerb'com's blog, "Mindful Eating + 3 Supplements to Support Healthy Weight Loss."
Dr. Mike Roizen is the founder of www.longevityplaybook.com, and Dr. Mehmet Oz is global advisor to www.iHerb.com, the world's leading online health store. Roizen and Oz are chief wellness officer emeritus at Cleveland Clinic and professor emeritus at Columbia University, respectively. Together they have written 11 New York Times bestsellers (four No. 1's).
(c)2024 Michael Roizen, M.D.
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
(c) 2024 Michael Roizen, M.D. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.
