AUTHOR=Sun Kunpeng , Chang Yiyi , Jie Jing , Wang Chunyan , Gu Yue 

TITLE=The J-shaped relationship between body roundness index and adult asthma: insights from NHANES 2001–2018

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=Volume 12 - 2025

YEAR=2025

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2025.1516003

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2025.1516003

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=BackgroundMany studies have used Body Mass Index (BMI) to define obesity and examine its potential link to adult asthma. However, BMI overlooks body fat distribution, which may significantly impact health. Unlike BMI, the Body Roundness Index (BRI) can more accurately reflect body fat distribution. Therefore, this study examined BRI’s relationship with asthma prevalence in U.S. adults.MethodsThis study was based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 2001 and 2018 and covered 40,052 adult participants. Participants were categorized into four quartile groups based on their BRI levels: Quartile 1 (1.05, 3.80); Quartile 2 (3.80, 5.06); Quartile 3 (5.06, 6.61); Quartile 4 (6.61, 23.48). The association between BRI and asthma prevalence was assessed via weighted multivariate logistic regression, smoothed curve fitting, threshold effects, subgroup, and sensitivity analysis. BRI’s predictive power was compared to BMI and waist circumference using z-scores.ResultsOf the study population, 5,605 participants had asthma (13.99% prevalence). After adjusting for possible confounders, the results showed that higher BRI was linked to greater asthma prevalence (OR = 1.41, 95% CI:1.27, 1.56, p < 0.0001). A J-shaped relationship between BRI and asthma prevalence (p-nonlinearity = 0) was found, with asthma prevalence rising significantly when BRI surpassed 4.34. BRI outperformed BMI and waist circumference in predicting asthma (BRI: OR = 1.180; BMI: OR = 1.169; W.C.: OR = 1.166). Subgroup and sensitivity analyses confirmed our results’ robustness.ConclusionAdult asthma prevalence increases with increasing BRI levels, showing a J-shaped relationship. Keeping BRI under 4.34 is vital for lowering asthma prevalence, especially for overweight or obese individuals. In addition, BRI outperformed BMI and waist circumference in predicting asthma occurrence.