November 25, 2008 – Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio are better measures than body mass index (BMI) for assessing risk of death, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Unlike BMI, these measurements help assess the distribution of fat in the body, which researchers say can increase the risk of premature death.
Thus, the risk of death, over a five-year period, was twice as high among men with the largest waist circumference than among those with the smallest waist circumference. This risk was 1.78 in women. And men with the highest waist-to-hip ratio were 1.68 times more likely to die prematurely than those with the lowest ratio. This risk was 1.51 in women.
An increase of five centimeters in the waist circumference increases the risk of mortality by 17% for men and 13% for women, illustrate the authors of the study.
BMI
BMI is often used in studies to assess the risk of disease from being overweight. However, according to the present study, the lowest mortality rates were not associated with people who had a high or low BMI, but with those who had an intermediate index: 25.3 for men and 24.3 for men. women, which is not considered obesity3.
The researchers, in nine European countries, analyzed the BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio of 359,387 men and women aged 25 to 70. During the nearly 10-year follow-up, 14,723 participants died. The study took into account the size of the participants, their level of education, their consumption of alcohol and cigarettes, as well as their practice of physical activity.
Waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio measurements should be used, in conjunction with BMI, even in those of normal weight to account for the distribution of fat throughout the body, the authors of the study point out. study.
Emmanuelle Bergeron – PasseportSanté.net
1. Pischon T, Boeing H, et al. General and abdominal adiposity and risk of death in Europe, N Engl J Med. 2008 Nov 13; 359 (20): 2105-20.
2. The waist-to-hip ratio is the waist-to-hip ratio. This measurement gives a good idea of the distribution of fat on the body. The ratio is considered high when the result is greater than 1 for men, and greater than 0.85 for women.
3. We talk about being overweight when the BMI is between 25 and 29.9. We talk about obesity when it equals or exceeds 30.
