title: Relationships between body roundness with body fat and visceral adipose tissue emerging from a new geometrical model.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To develop a new geometrical index that combines height, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC) and relate this index to total and visceral body fat.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subject data were pooled from three databases that contained demographic, anthropometric, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measured fat mass, and magnetic resonance imaging measured visceral adipose tissue (VAT) volume. Two elliptical models of the human body were developed. Body roundness was calculated from the model using a well-established constant arising from the theory. Regression models based on eccentricity and other variables were used to predict %body fat and %VAT.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A body roundness index (BRI) was derived to quantify the individual body shape in a height-independent manner. Body roundness slightly improved predictions of %body fat and %VAT compared to the traditional metrics of body mass index (BMI), WC, or HC. On this basis, healthy body roundness ranges were established. An automated graphical program simulating study results was placed at http://www.pbrc.edu/bodyroundness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BRI, a new shape measure, is a predictor of %body fat and %VAT and can be applied as a visual tool for health status evaluations.
authors.affiliation: Center for Quantitative Obesity Research, Montclair State University, Montclair, NJ, USA.
authors.forename: Diana M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bredlau
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bosy-Westphal
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mueller
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: Dympna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gallagher
authors.forename: Yuna
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Maeda
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: McDougall
authors.forename: Courtney M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Peterson
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ravussin
authors.forename: Steven B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Heymsfield
mesh_terms: D015502:Absorptiometry, Photon; D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000473:pathology*; D050154:Adiposity; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001837:Body Weights and Measures / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D050152:Intra-Abdominal Fat / Q000473:pathology*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008954:Models, Biological; D013008:Somatotypes / Q000502:physiology*; D055105:Waist Circumference; D055815:Young Adult