Abdominal fat predicts heart disease risk better than BMI, study shows
The size of a person's midsection is a better indicator of cardiovascular disease risk than body mass index (BMI) alone, according to a study published in JACC. BMI has traditionally been used to determine overweight or obesity, common risk factors for heart disease, but this study shows that not accounting for waist circumference (WC) or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) can lead to misclassification of…
A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) has found that abdominal fat, as measured by waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), is a better predictor of heart disease risk than traditional body mass index (BMI). The research, led by Dr. Michael J. Blaha, analyzed data from over 260,000 participants followed for an average of 20 years, and revealed that individuals with normal weight or overweight status but abnormal central adiposity had a 15-50% greater risk of various cardiovascular events, such as heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and death, compared to those with normal BMI and central adiposity.
This highlights the importance of considering fat distribution, rather than just overall weight, when assessing cardiovascular risk.
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