Calculators for Indian bodies
Five numbers you can work out before you book.
Each one uses the published line that fits a South Asian adult, says where that line came from, and says what the number cannot tell you. Everything is worked out in your browser; nothing you type is sent or stored.
Calculator 01
Waist-to-height ratio, a tape and a wall.
Your waist divided by your height. It looks at where you carry weight rather than how much, and NICE uses the same lines for every ethnicity, which makes it a fair check for Indian bodies.1,2
How to read it
| Range | Reading |
|---|---|
| Below 0.4 | Not classified by NICE. Worth a conversation if you are also losing weight without trying. |
| 0.4 to 0.49 | Healthy central adiposity |
| 0.5 to 0.59 | Increased central adiposity |
| 0.6 or more | High central adiposity |
NICE applies these lines to adults of both sexes and all ethnicities with a BMI under 35. The Indian consensus also uses a waist of 90 cm for men and 80 cm for women as an action point.
What it cannot tell you
- It cannot separate fat around the organs from fat under the skin. A DEXA scan measures visceral fat directly.
- A tape measure is easy to misread by a centimetre or two. Measure halfway between your lowest rib and the top of your hip bone, after breathing out.
- It does not apply in pregnancy, and NICE does not use it above a BMI of 35.
Read next
Calculator 02
BMI, two ways, the standard and the South Asian line.
Body mass index is weight divided by height squared. Most reports print the standard bands. For South Asian adults, NICE and the WHO expert consultation move the lines down, because risk starts at a lower BMI.1,3,4
How to read it
| Range | Reading |
|---|---|
| Under 18.5 | Underweight on both scales |
| 18.5 to 22.9 | Healthy on both scales |
| 23 to 24.9 | Healthy on the standard scale, overweight on the South Asian scale |
| 25 to 27.4 | Overweight on both |
| 27.5 to 29.9 | Overweight on the standard scale, obesity on the South Asian scale |
| 30 or more | Obesity on both |
What it cannot tell you
- BMI cannot tell muscle from fat. A strong, muscular person can read as overweight, and a slim person can carry more fat than BMI suggests.
- It says nothing about where fat sits. Pair it with the waist-to-height ratio above.
- NICE asks clinicians to read it with care in people over 65 and in people with a lot of muscle.
Read next
Calculator 03
TG:HDL ratio, with a caveat for women.
Triglycerides divided by HDL cholesterol, both from a fasting lipid profile. Researchers use it as a rough sign of insulin resistance. The 3.0 line comes from a study of overweight American volunteers, and it works less well in South Asians.5,6,7
How to read it
| Range | Reading |
|---|---|
| Men, below 3.0 | Below the line used in the original study |
| Men, 3.0 or more | Past that line. Worth reading with fasting insulin and HbA1c. |
| Women, any value | No line shown. In a UK study the ratio did not track insulin resistance in South Asian women. |
Lines apply to mg/dL. If your report is in mmol/L, the tool converts before dividing; 3.0 in mg/dL is about 1.3 in mmol/L.
What it cannot tell you
- It is a surrogate, not a test of insulin resistance. Fasting insulin and HOMA-IR measure that more directly.
- In South Asian women it is not reliable, so we do not give it a band.
- A meal, alcohol or a missed fast the night before raises triglycerides, and with them the ratio.
Calculator 04
Non-HDL cholesterol, everything but the HDL.
Total cholesterol minus HDL. It adds up the cholesterol carried by every particle that can lodge in an artery wall, not only LDL.8,9
How to read it
| Range | Reading |
|---|---|
| Below 130 mg/dL | Within the general healthy level for adults |
| 130 mg/dL or more | Above the general healthy level |
The Lipid Association of India sets targets by each person’s risk, and a person at higher risk has a lower target. That needs a physician, not a calculator.
What it cannot tell you
- It cannot place you in a risk category. Age, blood pressure, diabetes, smoking and family history all change what number is right for you.
- It does not count particles. ApoB does, and Lp(a) is a separate, inherited particle it does not single out.
- One reading moves with diet and illness. A trend over two or more tests says more.
Calculator 05
HOMA-IR, shown without a cut-off, on purpose.
An estimate of insulin resistance from fasting glucose and fasting insulin. It shows how much insulin your body needs to hold fasting sugar where it is.10,5
How to read it
| Range | Reading |
|---|---|
| Any value | No band. We could not find a South Asian adult cut-off that holds across laboratories. |
Published cut-offs differ between populations, and insulin assays are not standardised, so the same blood can give a different HOMA-IR in two labs. Track your own number over time, from the same lab.
What it cannot tell you
- It cannot be compared across labs, because insulin assays differ.
- The original authors reported low precision for a single estimate, so one result is a starting point, not a verdict.
- It needs a true fast. Insulin rises quickly after food.
Why these lines and not the ones on a standard report? The Indian thresholds guide explains where South Asian bodies and standard ranges part ways. Every assessment starts with the 400+ parameter panel and a 60-minute consultation, where a physician reads these numbers with you.
References
- NICE guideline NG246. Overweight and obesity management, 2025: recommendations 1.9.10 (BMI classes), 1.9.11 (lower BMI thresholds of 23 and 27.5 for South Asian and other groups) and 1.9.14 (waist-to-height ratio 0.4–0.49, 0.5–0.59 and 0.6 or more, for all ethnicities and both sexes, BMI under 35). Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Misra A et al. Consensus statement for diagnosis of obesity, abdominal obesity and the metabolic syndrome for Asian Indians. J Assoc Physicians India 2009;57:163–170. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- WHO Expert Consultation. Appropriate body-mass index for Asian populations and its implications for policy and intervention strategies. Lancet 2004;363:157–163. Public health action points at BMI 23.0 and 27.5. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Yajnik CS, Yudkin JS. The Y-Y paradox. Lancet 2004;363:163. Two men of the same BMI, one Indian and one European, with very different body fat on DEXA. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- McLaughlin T et al. Use of metabolic markers to identify overweight individuals who are insulin resistant. Ann Intern Med 2003;139:802–809. TG:HDL cut-point 3.0 in mg/dL units, from 258 overweight volunteers; notes the lack of a standardised insulin assay. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Mostafa SA et al. The association of the triglyceride-to-HDL cholesterol ratio with insulin resistance in White European and South Asian men and women. PLoS One 2012;7:e50931. The ratio was not associated with insulin resistance in South Asian women. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Gasevic D et al. The association between triglyceride to HDL cholesterol ratio and insulin resistance in a multiethnic primary prevention cohort. Metabolism 2012;61:583–589. The ratio performed least well in South Asian participants. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- MedlinePlus (US National Library of Medicine). Cholesterol levels: what you need to know. Healthy non-HDL cholesterol for adults 20 and older: less than 130 mg/dL. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Puri R et al. Key messages from the Lipid Association of India 2024 Consensus Statement IV. J Assoc Physicians India 2024;72(8):80–82. LDL and non-HDL cholesterol targets are set by each person’s risk category. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
- Matthews DR et al. Homeostasis model assessment: insulin resistance and β-cell function from fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations in man. Diabetologia 1985;28:412–419. Read the source (opens in a new tab)
Educational tools. Nothing on this page is a diagnosis or a treatment recommendation.
Your biological age is a number you can measure.
Start with the 400+ parameter entry assessment and a 60-minute physician consultation at either Hyderabad clinic. Open seven days, 11 AM to 9 PM.
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