Epidemiological associations between obesity, metabolism and disease risk: are body mass index and waist-hip ratio all you need?
Authors' conclusion
We did not observe sufficient benefits from the more recent body adiposity formulas over body mass index, waist-hip or waist-height ratio to warrant their widespread application in cardiometabolic epidemiology.
Study context
- Population
- Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1966 at the 46-year visit (2511 women, 1908 men) and UK Biobank participants at initial visit (244,947 women, 205,949 men)two cohorts
- Exposure
- Body mass index (BMI) and waist-hip ratio (WHR) vs newer adiposity formulas for metabolic profile and cardiometabolic disease prediction
- Outcome
- Prediction of diabetes (c-statistic)
Methodological detailssex-adjusted Spearman correlations, age- and sex-adjusted logistic and Cox regression, register linkage
- Sex-adjusted Spearman correlations
- Age- and sex-adjusted logistic and Cox regression
- Register linkage
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
BMI & WHR
0.8012
c-statistic · CI 0.7963–0.8061
Waist-height ratio (WHER)
0.7951
c-statistic · CI 0.7903–0.8000
- Theoretical maximum c-statistic for diabetes
- 0.8047
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Epidemiological associations between obesity, metabolism and disease risk: are body mass index and waist-hip ratio all you need? Int J Obes (Lond). Published 19 September 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →