Body roundness index trajectories tied to CVD risk

Trajectories of body roundness index (BRI) appear to predict the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), particularly among younger adults, suggests a study.

A total of 59,278 participants (mean age 54.8 years) free of malignant tumours and CVD and with repeated measurements of BRI from 2006 to 2012 were included in this study. The latent mixture model was used to identify the BRI trajectories from 2006 to 2012.

The investigators examined the association of BRI trajectories with the risk of CVD events and mortality using a Cox proportional hazards model. They categorized these trajectories into four distinct groups: low-stable (mean BRI, 2.7), moderate-stable (mean BRI, 3.7), moderate-high-stable (mean BRI, 4.7), and high-stable (mean BRI, 5.8).

During follow-up, 1,928 CVD events and 2,928 deaths were documented. Compared with the low-stable group, the hazard ratios of CVD after adjusting for potential confounders were 1.37 (95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.19‒1.58) for the moderate-stable group, 1.64 (95 percent CI, 1.40‒1.91) for the moderate-high-stable group, and 2.03 (95 percent CI, 1.64‒2.52) for the high-stable group.

Similar associations were seen for myocardial infarction and ischaemic stroke. Of note, the association of BRI trajectories with CVD was most pronounced among participants aged <55 years.

“The BRI is a new anthropometric index that combines height and waist circumference to predict the percentages of total and regional fat,” the investigators said. “The longitudinal trajectories of BRI can reflect the long-term pattern of BRI changes.”