Body fat percentage is a better predictor than BMI of diseases such as diabetes, fatty liver, or depression.

A series of programs of study in influential international scientific journalshave endorsed the use of CUN-BAE to predict diseasessuch as diabetes, fatty liver, and depression. This tool, developed by specialists and researchers in the Obesityarea  and the research laboratory the Clínica Universidad de Navarra, estimates a person's body fat percentage more accurately than the Body Mass Index (BMI) by including age and sex in an original mathematical formula.  

The Dr. Javier Gómez Ambrosi, researcher laboratory Clinic's research laboratory , explained that "BMI does not distinguish between muscle and fat, and can be inaccurate in older people or elite athletes with excessive muscle mass, among other profiles.CUN-BAE better reflects body compositionand more reliably predicts metabolic problems thanks to an equation that takes these datainto account." 

Its effectiveness has been proven by various studies conducted in different countries. For example, the results of a study published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition have demonstrated the effectiveness of this tool detecting the risk of prediabetes at an early stage. The researchers analyzed data more than 112,000 Chinese adults, who were followed for more than three years, and found that when body fat increased—according to the CUN-BAE—so did the risk of prediabetes, as reflected in laboratory results.  

On the other hand, another research published in the journal PLoS Onehas shown that people with more body fat—and therefore a higher CUN-BAE index—were more likely to suffer from depression. Specifically, based on the results of 31,500 adults, the scientists who authored the study point out that for every one-point increase in this indicator, the risk of depression rose by about 2%, demonstrating that body fat and inflammation in the body can influence mood and the risk of depression.   

Finally, another study published in the Journal of Gastrointestinal and Liver Diseases has confirmed that this tool predict the risk of metabolic fatty liver disease, which is the most common form of fatty liver in the world. The research 949 participants, more than half of whom had this disease, and found that the higher the CUN-BAE index, the higher the probability of developing this pathology.  

CUN-BAE, at the disposal of professionals

The tool is shared in an accessible manner accessible by various scientific societies for any specialist or researcher. As stated by Dr. Gema Frühbeck, co-director area and director of laboratory research laboratory at the Clinic, "it aims to help professionals use it for the benefit of patients. It is a joy to know that it is already being used for this purpose both nationally and internationally and that it has the endorsement of various scientific societies."