Episode #316: Body Roundness Index

Episode #316: Body Roundness Index

Author: Barbell Medicine October 21, 2024 Duration: 18:25

Dr. Feigenbaum talks about the body roundness index and compares it to BMI.

Become a Barbell Medicine Plus Member

BRI Calculator

Resources Page: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/resources/

Template Quiz: https://www.barbellmedicine.com/template-quiz/

For more of our stuff:

Website

Upcoming Seminars

Apparel

App

Tech Support on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDuf2vIU7JY

Got Pain? Contact Us:

https://www.barbellmedicine.com/contact-us-coaching-inquiry/

References:

  1. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
  2. Boutari C, Mantzoros CS. A 2022 update on the epidemiology of obesity and a call to action: as its twin COVID-19 pandemic appears to be receding, the obesity and dysmetabolism pandemic continues to rage on. Metabolism. 2022 Aug;133:155217. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2022.155217. Epub 2022 May 15. PMID: 35584732; PMCID: PMC9107388.
  3. Ciemins EL, Joshi V, Cuddeback JK, Kushner RF, Horn DB, Garvey WT. Diagnosing Obesity as a First Step to Weight Loss: An Observational Study. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2020 Dec;28(12):2305-2309. doi: 10.1002/oby.22954. Epub 2020 Oct 7. PMID: 33029901; PMCID: PMC7756722.
  4. Garvey WT, Mechanick JI, Brett EM, Garber AJ, Hurley DL, Jastreboff AM, Nadolsky K, Pessah-Pollack R, Plodkowski R; Reviewers of the AACE/ACE Obesity Clinical Practice Guidelines. AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF CLINICAL ENDOCRINOLOGISTS AND AMERICAN COLLEGE OF ENDOCRINOLOGY COMPREHENSIVE CLINICAL PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR MEDICAL CARE OF PATIENTS WITH OBESITY. Endocr Pract. 2016 Jul;22 Suppl 3:1-203. doi: 10.4158/EP161365.GL. Epub 2016 May 24. PMID: 27219496.
  5. Gruzdeva O, Borodkina D, Uchasova E, Dyleva Y, Barbarash O. Localization of fat depots and cardiovascular risk. Lipids Health Dis. 2018 Sep 15;17(1):218. doi: 10.1186/s12944-018-0856-8. PMID: 30219068; PMCID: PMC6138918.
  6. Romero-Corral A, Somers VK, Sierra-Johnson J, Thomas RJ, Collazo-Clavell ML, Korinek J, Allison TG, Batsis JA, Sert-Kuniyoshi FH, Lopez-Jimenez F. Accuracy of body mass index in diagnosing obesity in the adult general population. Int J Obes (Lond). 2008 Jun;32(6):959-66. doi: 10.1038/ijo.2008.11. Epub 2008 Feb 19. PMID: 18283284; PMCID: PMC2877506.
  7. Mulligan AA, Lentjes MAH, Luben RN, Wareham NJ, Khaw KT. Changes in waist circumference and risk of all-cause and CVD mortality: results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk) cohort study. BMC Cardiovasc Disord. 2019 Oct 28;19(1):238. doi: 10.1186/s12872-019-1223-z. PMID: 31660867; PMCID: PMC6819575.
  8. Abate N, Garg A, Peshock RM, Stray-Gundersen J, Grundy SM. Relationships of generalized and regional adiposity to insulin sensitivity in men. J Clin Invest. 1995 Jul;96(1):88-98. doi: 10.1172/JCI118083. PMID: 7615840; PMCID: PMC185176.
  9. Antonopoulos AS, Tousoulis D. The molecular mechanisms of obesity paradox. Cardiovasc Res. 2017 Jul 1;113(9):1074-1086. doi: 10.1093/cvr/cvx106. PMID: 28549096
  10. Jensen MD. American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines; Obesity Society. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Practice Guidelines and The Obesity Society. Circulation. 2014 Jun 24;129(25 Suppl 2):S102-38. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.0000437739.71477.ee. Epub 2013 Nov 12. Erratum in: Circulation. 2014 Jun 24;129(25 Suppl 2):S139-40. PMID: 24222017; PMCID: PMC5819889.
  11. Sommer I, Teufer B, Szelag M, Nussbaumer-Streit B, Titscher V, Klerings I, Gartlehner G. The performance of anthropometric tools to determine obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci Rep. 2020 Jul 29;10(1):12699. doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-69498-7. PMID: 32728050.
  12. Zhu S, Heshka S, Wang Z, Shen W, Allison DB, Ross R, Heymsfield SB. Combination of BMI and Waist Circumference for Identifying Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Whites. Obes Res. 2004 Apr;12(4):633-45. PMID: 15090631.
  13. Thomas DM, Bredlau C, Bosy-Westphal A, Mueller M, Shen W, Gallagher D, Maeda Y, McDougall A, Peterson CM, Ravussin E, Heymsfield SB. Relationships between body roundness with body fat and visceral adipose tissue emerging from a new geometrical model. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2013 Nov;21(11):2264-71. doi: 10.1002/oby.20408. Epub 2013 Jun 11. PMID: 23519954; PMCID: PMC3692604.
  14. Zhang X, Ma N, Lin Q, et al. Body Roundness Index and All-Cause Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2415051. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.15051 Zhang X, Ma N, Lin Q, et al. Body Roundness Index and All-Cause Mortality Among US Adults. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(6):e2415051.
  15. Rico-Martín S, Calderón-García JF, Sánchez-Rey P, Franco-Antonio C, Martínez Alvarez M, Sánchez Muñoz-Torrero JF. Effectiveness of body roundness index in predicting metabolic syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Obes Rev. 2020 Jul;21(7):e13023. doi: 10.1111/obr.13023. Epub 2020 Apr 8. PMID: 32267621.
  16. Zhou D, Liu X, Huang Y, Feng Y. A nonlinear association between body roundness index and all-cause mortality and cardiovascular mortality in general population. Public Health Nutr. 2022 Nov;25(11):3008-3015. doi: 10.1017/S1368980022001768. Epub 2022 Aug 19. PMID: 35983642; PMCID: PMC9991644.
  17. Cai X, Song S, Hu J, Zhu Q, Yang W, Hong J, Luo Q, Yao X, Li N. Body roundness index improves the predictive value of cardiovascular disease risk in hypertensive patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a cohort study. Clin Exp Hypertens. 2023 Dec 31;45(1):2259132. doi: 10.1080/10641963.2023.2259132. Epub 2023 Oct 8. PMID: 37805984.
  18. Wu L, Pu H, Zhang M, Hu H, Wan Q. Non-linear relationship between the body roundness index and incident type 2diabetes in Japan: a secondary retrospective analysis. J Transl Med. 2022 Mar 7;20(1):110. doi: 10.1186/s12967-022-03321-x. PMID: 35255926; PMCID: PMC8900386.
  19. Zhang Y, Gao W, Ren R, Liu Y, Li B, Wang A, Tang X, Yan L, Luo Z, Qin G, Chen L, Wan Q, Gao Z, Wang W, Ning G, Mu Y. Body roundness index is related to the low estimated glomerular filtration rate in Chinese population: A cross-sectional study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). 2023 Mar 28;14:1148662. doi: 10.3389/fendo.2023.1148662. PMID: 37056676; PMCID: PMC10086436.




Our Sponsors:
* Check out FIGS and use my code FIGSRX for a great deal: https://wearfigs.com
* Check out Factor: http://factormeals.com/bbm50off
* Check out Quince: https://quince.com/bbm


Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Hosted by the team at Barbell Medicine, the Barbell Medicine Podcast delves into the complex intersection of health, fitness, and medical science. Rather than offering quick fixes, the discussions here are grounded in evidence-based practice, exploring how training, nutrition, and lifestyle intersect with long-term well-being. You’ll hear nuanced conversations that challenge common fitness myths and provide practical insights applicable to both everyday lifters and clinical populations. Episodes often feature deep dives into rehabilitation, strength programming, pain science, and metabolic health, all delivered with a focus on applying robust scientific principles to real-world scenarios. This podcast serves as a valuable resource for anyone looking to move beyond oversimplified advice and understand the “why” behind effective training and sustainable health practices. Tune in for thoughtful analysis and accessible explanations that make the latest research relevant to your own goals.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Barbell Medicine Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Direct Line April 2026: Stopping Ozempic and Lifting With Osteopenia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:39
Stop a GLP-1 and about two thirds of the weight loss comes back within a year. Three randomized withdrawal trials (SURMOUNT-4, STEP 1 extension, STEP 4) and a new BMJ 2026 systematic review of 37 RCTs and nearly 10,000 a…
Medical Mystery: The Man Who Got Weaker When He Started Training [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:15:46
A 43-year-old man starts exercising and ends up in the ER with a CK over 100x the upper limit of normal. His doctor says it’s from training. We don’t think so. In this episode, Dr. Jordan Feigenbaum and Dr. Austin Baraki…
Overtraining Syndrome: Causes, Diagnosis, and What's Actually Going On [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:36:05
In 2022, researchers conducted the most rigorous systematic review ever performed on overtraining syndrome — looking specifically for controlled studies that documented a human transitioning from a healthy training state…