It has long been understood that excess body fat is related to many chronic diseases, but more recent studies show that fat stored specifically in the abdominal region is of even more concern. In addition, visceral fat -- or belly fat that sits around your organs rather than under the surface of the skin -- is even more closely associated with health problems. The relationship between excess belly fat -- usually estimated by either waist-to-hip ratio or waist circumference -- and health problems has been studied extensively during the past decade. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, optimal waist-to-hip ratio for males is less than 1.0, or less than 0.95 for females. Optimal waist circumference for males is 40 inches, or 35 inches for females.
Hypertension
A 2002 study at Queen's University in Ontario involved nearly 15,000 subjects and examined incidence of health risks with a high waist circumference. The study found that even after controlling for BMI -- or body mass index, which is a number based on your weight and height -- a high waist circumference increased subjects' risks of hypertension (high blood pressure).
Dyslipidemia
The Queen's University study also found a significant association between high waist circumference and dyslipidemia. Dyslipidemia is defined as an abnormal blood lipid profile, which can include high levels of total cholesterol, high levels of LDL cholesterol and/or low levels of HDL cholesterol.
Cardiovascular Disease
In 1993, scientists at Emery University in Atlanta compiled 43 studies, several relevant journals and interviews with physicians to determine the health risks associated with excess abdominal fat. The review found that high belly fat increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases, even when controlling for body weight. Cardiovascular diseases include any conditions of the heart, such as coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, arrhythmias, congestive heart failure and heart valve diseases.
Cancer
A 2000 study at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, compared waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference to various health outcomes in 31,702 older women. The study found that a high waist-to-hip ratio increases incidences of cancer, specifically cancers of the breast, colon, uterus and ovaries. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, it is theorized that the connection between increased abdominal fat and certain cancers is related to fat cells altering certain hormone levels in the body.
Type 2 Diabetes
Both the University of Minnesota and the Queen's University studies also found that a high waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference correlated with a higher incidence of Type 2 diabetes. This finding supports previous studies in which weight loss was shown to improve or even reverse Type 2 diabetes.
All-Cause Mortality
The University of Minnesota study also found that both a high waist-to-hip ratio and a high waist circumference increase the risk of death of all causes, independently of BMI. In fact, BMI was not very strongly correlated with all-cause mortality, which indicates that waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference may be more accurate than BMI as measures of overall health.
References
- Archives of Internal Medicine: Associations of General and Abdominal Obesity With Multiple Health Outcomes in Older Women
- American Journal of Health Promotion: A review of the association between abdominal fat distribution, health outcome measures, and modifiable risk factors
- Archives of Internal Medicine: Body Mass Index, Waist Circumference, and Health Risk
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