US Study Shows Link Between Mortality and Waist Circumference
"Measuring waist circumference is a simple and cost-effective method to assess visceral fat tissue (abdominal fat; ed.). However, it is rarely used in patient care," according to the German Medical Journal regarding the scientific US study published in the "Annals of Internal Medicine."
Mortality in Women: Body Mass Index Not Solely Decisive According to US Study
In the study, the authors evaluated the information of 139,213 women aged between 50 and 79 years. They had participated in the so-called "Women’s Health Initiative," a large ongoing epidemiological observational study in the USA. Initially, differentiation was made according to the conventional BMI categories (Normal weight: 18.5 to 25; Overweight: 25 to 30; Obesity 1: 30 to 35; Obesity 2: 35 to 40 and Obesity 3: more than 40).
Additionally, a classification according to waist circumference (greater than 80, 90, 105, 115, and greater than 115 centimeters) was made as a measure for abdominal fat, which is under the highest suspicion regarding cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. The main result of the scientific study: Women after menopause with a larger waist circumference showed higher mortality in every BMI category.
Additional Risk from Abdominal Fat
Compared to participants with normal weight and normal waist circumference, those with normal or overweight BMI but large waist circumference (plus 17 and plus 19 percent mortality risk, respectively; ed.) had a similar risk to women with Obesity Grade 1 but normal waist circumference (plus twelve percent compared to normal weight).
Women with Obesity Grade 1 and large waist circumference showed a 45 percent increased mortality. This was similar to that of massive obesity (BMI greater than 40) and normal waist circumference (plus 40 percent compared to normal weight values). More abdominal fat thus shifts the risk assessment per Body Mass Index upwards.
The results supported the recommendations of the International Atherosclerosis Society (IAS) not to rely solely on BMI to determine the risk from overweight and obesity, according to the study authors. At the same time, waist circumference should also be measured. Conversely, in individuals with a particularly high risk due to high BMI values and a lot of abdominal fat, there could be an even greater focus on normalizing weight and fat distribution.
(APA/Red)
This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.