Association of body roundness index with stroke and mortality among people with normal body mass index

The Body Roundness Index (BRI) is a novel anthropometric measure that can predict total and regional body fat percentages. However, the effects of BRI in individuals with a normal Body Mass Index (BMI) remain unclear. This study aimed to investigate the association of BRI with stroke and all-cause mortality in individuals with a normal BMI.

This longitudinal study included 36,490 participants free from cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and possessed a normal BMI (18.5-24.0) at baseline. Cox proportional hazard models were used to estimate the associations between BRI and the risk of stroke and all-cause mortality. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used to assess the ability of BRI to predict stroke and all-cause mortality than other anthropometric indices.

During a median follow-up of 15.0 years, there were 2281 (6.3 %) recorded strokes and 5094 (14.0 %) deaths. After adjusting for potential risk factors, BRI was found to be significantly associated with increased risks of stroke (P for trend = 0.002) and mortality (P for trend <0.001), independent of BMI. The association was primarily linked to ischemic stroke (P for trend = 0.002) rather than hemorrhagic stroke. Additionally, the ROC curves indicated that BRI has better predictive power than BMI for stroke and all-cause mortality (P < 0.05).

In participants with a normal BMI, higher levels of BRI were significantly associated with an increased risk of stroke and all-cause mortality. However, these findings may not generalize to women or more diverse populations, as the study mostly included men from a single occupation.