Is BVI better than BMI?
April 2022 saw the publication of a ‘landmark’ paper at the American College of Cardiology annual conference about the Body Volume Index (BVI).
Mayo Clinic presented a paper at the annual American College of Cardiology conference where over the last 10 years they have conducted a study measuring 151 combinations of body volume for the predictive risk of diabetes, hypertension and cardio-vascular risk. These used the baseline part body volumes from the 3D BVI software to investigate the predictive links and values between the 7 part-volumes of the body; the chest, the abdomen, the pelvis and the two arms and two legs, measuring the relationships between the volumes of each.
The paper is important in that it concluded that BVI correctly assesses around 81% of people for their metabolic syndrome as opposed to 68% for the Body Mass Index; an improvement of 19% over BMI.
BMI is about total weight, whereas BVI is about where the weight is and what the health risks are for all of us, depending on where we each carry our own weight. Weight distribution is an easier concept to understand, but a much more difficult one to measure correctly, which is why it has taken so long to get to this stage.
However, this peer reviewed paper is the first step in proving that the original assumption was right; BVI could be and in fact, is better than BMI.