August 18, 2010 – Men and women whose waistlines have a large reserve of abdominal fat are twice as likely to die prematurely, even if they are neither obese nor overweight.
In fact, the risk of death attributable to waist circumference is independent of the body mass index (BMI), which assesses the risk of diseases related to being overweight or underweight.
This is what an American study indicates1 conducted among 105,000 men and women aged 50 and over, over a period of 9 years.
According to the results, the risk of dying from cancer, respiratory diseases or cardiovascular disorders is twice as high in men whose waist circumference exceeds 120 cm compared to those with a normal waist circumference (less than 90 cm) . Ditto for women whose abdominal perimeter exceeds 110 cm compared to the standard (less than 75 cm).
This risk is independent of BMI and other risk factors for these diseases, including age, smoking and physical activity.
According to the researchers, the waist circumference is strongly associated with the fat that accumulates on the periphery of internal organs, called “visceral fat”. However, this visceral fat is more “pathogenic” than the fat found just under the skin (subcutaneous).
High risk despite normal weight
Several studies have shown that waist circumference is an important risk factor for the onset of various diseases in people suffering from obesity, including cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancer.
However, the present study associates waist circumference with a significant risk of death in people of normal weight. Notably, this association is stronger in women than in men, which researchers cannot yet explain.
The present results therefore suggest that, regardless of weight, it is important to reduce excess abdominal fat through a healthy diet and more physical exercise, in order to reduce the risk of dying prematurely.
The authors believe that the study could lead public health authorities to review their guidelines on the use of waist measurement in the fight against excess weight and obesity.
The proportion of Canadians who are overweight has doubled in the past 30 years in this country, according to Statistics Canada. Almost 60% of adults aged 18 and over, or 14.1 million Canadians, are overweight or obese. 39% are at a healthy weight
Louis Gagné – PasseportSanté.net
1. Jacobs EJ, et al, Waist Circumference and All-Cause Mortality in a Large US Cohort, Archives of Internal Medicine, August 9, 2010, vol. 170, no 15, 1293-301.
