Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Background Several anthropometric indices, such as body mass index and waist circumference, have been used as clinical screening tools for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To further refine these clinical tools for NAFLD, the body roundness index (BRI) has recentl...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Shaghayegh Khanmohammadi, Parisa Fallahtafti, Amirhossein Habibzadeh, Ali Ezzatollahi Tanha, Amir Ali Alamdari, Parsa Fallahtafti, Mohammad Shafi Kuchay
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2025-03-01
Series:Lipids in Health and Disease
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-025-02544-3
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850065022319853568
author Shaghayegh Khanmohammadi
Parisa Fallahtafti
Amirhossein Habibzadeh
Ali Ezzatollahi Tanha
Amir Ali Alamdari
Parsa Fallahtafti
Mohammad Shafi Kuchay
author_facet Shaghayegh Khanmohammadi
Parisa Fallahtafti
Amirhossein Habibzadeh
Ali Ezzatollahi Tanha
Amir Ali Alamdari
Parsa Fallahtafti
Mohammad Shafi Kuchay
author_sort Shaghayegh Khanmohammadi
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Background Several anthropometric indices, such as body mass index and waist circumference, have been used as clinical screening tools for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To further refine these clinical tools for NAFLD, the body roundness index (BRI) has recently been evaluated. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the objective was to evaluate the relationship and predictive capability of the BRI in identifying NAFLD. Methods A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus up to December 31, 2024. Eligibility criteria included observational studies on adults (≥ 18 years old) with measured BRI and its association with NAFLD. The Joanna Briggs Institute tool was used for risk of bias assessment. Meta-analyses used random-effects models to pool data on mean difference, odds ratio, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC), with heterogeneity and publication bias assessed. Results Ten studies involving 59,466 participants were included. The pooled mean difference in BRI between the NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups was 1.73 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31–2.15). The pooled sensitivity and specificity of BRI for diagnosing NAFLD were 0.806 and 0.692, respectively. The pooled AUC for BRI was 0.803 (95% CI: 0.775–0.830), indicating good diagnostic accuracy. Unlike subgroup analysis by country, subgroup analysis by sex showed no significant differences. Higher BRI values were associated with increased odds of NAFLD (pooled OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.39; 5.96). Studies provided mixed results on the predictive ability of BRI compared to other indices like body mass index, mostly favoring BRI over conventional indices. Conclusion BRI demonstrates a good diagnostic performance for NAFLD, suggesting it may be a valuable clinical tool for NAFLD assessment. Further research is necessary to validate these findings and strengthen the evidence base.
format Article
id doaj-art-149a3c2eb85549a18758ebaffbf4063a
institution DOAJ
issn 1476-511X
language English
publishDate 2025-03-01
publisher BMC
record_format Article
series Lipids in Health and Disease
spelling doaj-art-149a3c2eb85549a18758ebaffbf4063a2025-08-20T02:49:06ZengBMCLipids in Health and Disease1476-511X2025-03-0124111710.1186/s12944-025-02544-3Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysisShaghayegh Khanmohammadi0Parisa Fallahtafti1Amirhossein Habibzadeh2Ali Ezzatollahi Tanha3Amir Ali Alamdari4Parsa Fallahtafti5Mohammad Shafi Kuchay6School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical SciencesSchool of Medicine, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical SciencesSchool of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Islamic Azad UniversityDivison of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Medanta the Medicity HospitalAbstract Background Several anthropometric indices, such as body mass index and waist circumference, have been used as clinical screening tools for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). To further refine these clinical tools for NAFLD, the body roundness index (BRI) has recently been evaluated. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, the objective was to evaluate the relationship and predictive capability of the BRI in identifying NAFLD. Methods A comprehensive search was conducted in PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Scopus up to December 31, 2024. Eligibility criteria included observational studies on adults (≥ 18 years old) with measured BRI and its association with NAFLD. The Joanna Briggs Institute tool was used for risk of bias assessment. Meta-analyses used random-effects models to pool data on mean difference, odds ratio, sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC), with heterogeneity and publication bias assessed. Results Ten studies involving 59,466 participants were included. The pooled mean difference in BRI between the NAFLD and non-NAFLD groups was 1.73 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31–2.15). The pooled sensitivity and specificity of BRI for diagnosing NAFLD were 0.806 and 0.692, respectively. The pooled AUC for BRI was 0.803 (95% CI: 0.775–0.830), indicating good diagnostic accuracy. Unlike subgroup analysis by country, subgroup analysis by sex showed no significant differences. Higher BRI values were associated with increased odds of NAFLD (pooled OR = 2.87, 95% CI: 1.39; 5.96). Studies provided mixed results on the predictive ability of BRI compared to other indices like body mass index, mostly favoring BRI over conventional indices. Conclusion BRI demonstrates a good diagnostic performance for NAFLD, suggesting it may be a valuable clinical tool for NAFLD assessment. Further research is necessary to validate these findings and strengthen the evidence base.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-025-02544-3Nonalcoholic fatty liver diseaseBody roundness indexAnthropometric indexPrediction
spellingShingle Shaghayegh Khanmohammadi
Parisa Fallahtafti
Amirhossein Habibzadeh
Ali Ezzatollahi Tanha
Amir Ali Alamdari
Parsa Fallahtafti
Mohammad Shafi Kuchay
Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Lipids in Health and Disease
Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Body roundness index
Anthropometric index
Prediction
title Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_full Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_fullStr Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_short Effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
title_sort effectiveness of body roundness index for the prediction of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease a systematic review and meta analysis
topic Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease
Body roundness index
Anthropometric index
Prediction
url https://doi.org/10.1186/s12944-025-02544-3
work_keys_str_mv AT shaghayeghkhanmohammadi effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT parisafallahtafti effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT amirhosseinhabibzadeh effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT aliezzatollahitanha effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT amiralialamdari effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT parsafallahtafti effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis
AT mohammadshafikuchay effectivenessofbodyroundnessindexforthepredictionofnonalcoholicfattyliverdiseaseasystematicreviewandmetaanalysis