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Health Information
Big Belly, BMI Linked to Heart Risk Even in40's
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Big Belly, BMI Linked to
Heart Risk Even in 40s
Watching your waistline can help reduce your risk of heart disease and death - even if you're in a younger age group that might not worry about heart health. Dutch researchers studying more than 20,500 men and women, average age 43, report that larger waist sizes and higher body mass index (BMI) were associated with three to four times higher rates of cardiovascular death and nearly double the rate of cardiovascular disease compared to slimmer peers. Over a 10-year period, women with a waist circumference greater than 34.5 inches were 2.9 times more likely to suffer nonfatal cardiovascular disease and 1.7 times more likely to die of heart disease than women with waists less than 31.5 inches. For men, the risks were comparably greater for waists bigger than 40.1 inches, versus less than 37 inches. Obesity, as measured by BMI, quadrupled heart-disease risk and nearly doubled (1.8 times) the risk of cardiovascular death compared to normal weight. Unlike most prior studies, the Dutch findings used measurements by trained staff rather than relying on self-reported figures. - European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation
Why does belly fat pose extra health risks? Read our free research report.
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