14 DAY TRIAL // Finally, a more accurate and trust worthy method of measuring the risk factors associated with an individual's body shape and type, by analyzing their weight and body fat distribution, has been launched.
This is the new and correct way to measure obesity nowadays, and identify people that are at risk of heart disease, diabetes and strokes.
The Body Volume Index was created by Select Research and it uses a 3D white-light scanner to analyze weight and body fat distribution and correlate them with the shape of the body.
Aston University was charged of the research work on the BVI, as part of the Body Benchmark Study – an international project built to develop and validate BVI, funded by the Index Voucher Scheme and Advantage West Midlands.
Richard Barnes MD at Select Research said that the “BMI was never meant to be used as an individual assessment for obesity and we believe that after nearly 200 years, each patient deserves to be measured in a way that takes their own body shape and lifestyle factors into account.”
The BVI should replace the BMI, and Ian Nabney, Professor of Computer Science at Aston conducted the research on body composition analysis for the BVI.
BMI is currently the standard measurement for obesity in people; the problem is that it is only based on weight and height.
The research team assessed data from many sources, before establishing the 'normal levels' for fat distribution in the important areas of the body, considering age, gender and the effectiveness of the measurement technology.
Professor Nabney said that “the 3D BVI measure enables clinicians to understand more about the distribution of a patient’s fat levels, particularly in the abdominal region which is an important indicator of a patient’s health.
“This could prove a vital early warning system to help identify individuals particularly at risk of heart disease, strokes, and diabetes.”
Barnes added that “most people in the world realize that carrying extra weight around the stomach means that they do have a greater health risk, commonly known in healthcare as central obesity.
“What BVI now offers the world is a brand new way of measuring the abdominal area which BMI simply cannot do.”
The work carried out by Aston completes the previous research for the study conducted by Heartlands NHS Hospital in Birmingham UK, the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) UK and Mayo Clinic in the United States.