New Measure for Calculating Body Fat

(NewsCore) - Researchers led by a University of Southern California physician have developed an alternative way to measure body fat that requires a tape measure and a calculator, not a bathroom scale, the Los Angeles Times reported Thursday.

The new metric, dubbed the Body Adiposity Index (BAI) -- which its creators claim is a better way to assess body composition -- uses height and hip circumference to determine body fat. It is easier than some measures for measuring body fat, such as having an underwater weigh-in, and is a more precise measure of fat-to-lean tissue than body-mass index (BMI) calculations.

The new measure was published Thursday in the journal Obesity.

Study author Richard N. Bergman, a professor of physiology and biophysics at Keck School of Medicine, said the team developed the new measure because while BMI calculations are useful, he said they are often inaccurate.

A slim, but very muscular person may have a high BMI, which would suggest that person is overweight.

He added that the team, which included a research group from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney health, was surprised to find that hip circumference is a better measure of body fat than the simple height and weight BMI calculation.

Read more: Los Angeles Times