A Measure of Heart Risk

The easiest way to assess your heart disease risk may be to measure your waist. A study of more than 9,000 white men and women found that the thickness of a person’s midsection is more closely associated with other risk factors, such as cholesterol and glucose levels and blood pressure, than body mass index, or BMI.

BMI, which is based on height and weight, has been used since the 1980s to estimate the risk of obesity-related diseases.

But researchers at the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center say their study indicates that waist circumference is a better indicator of fat distribution and is therefore more useful in assessing heart disease risk.

Since their study found such a close relationship between the major risk factors and waist size, it also confirms earlier findings that too much abdominal fat is dangerous to your health.

Using data from a national health and nutrition survey, the researchers found that the risk of having a waist size of 35 inches for men and 33 inches for women was equal to the risk of a BMI of 25, which is the standard cutoff for being overweight. If the waist grows to 39 inches for men and 37 inches for women, the risk is equivalent to a BMI of 30. At that size, the researchers report, it’s time to lower high blood pressure and lose weight.

The study was published recently in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.