A study published in the Journal of Diabetes Research investigated the relationship between BRI and DKD in Chinese adults. Cross-sectional data were collected from the National Metabolic Management Center of Yuhuan Second People’s Hospital and Taizhou Central Hospital (Taizhou University Hospital) between September 2017 and May 2024. BRI was calculated using waist circumference and height.

Among 12,231 participants, 5020 (41.0%) had DKD. Prevalence increased steadily across BRI groups: 33.4% in the lowest tertile, 41.3% in the middle, and 48.3% in the highest (p < 0.001). Compared with the lowest tertile, the fully adjusted odds of ratios for DKD were 1.25 (95% CI: 1.13–1.37) in the middle tertile and 1.42 (95% CI: 1.28–1.57) in the highest. A significant linear trend was confirmed. Restricted cubic spline analysis confirmed a linear dose–response relationship between BRI and DKD (p for nonlinearity = 0.628).

The findings suggest that higher BRI is significantly associated with DKD. The study highlights BRI as a potential clinical risk indicator for early identification of patients at higher risk. Prospective studies are needed to confirm its predictive value for incident DKD.