A recent study reveals that waist size may be a more accurate indicator of heart health than BMI, highlighting the risks associated with visceral fat around the abdomen.
A person’s waist size may reveal more about their heart health than the number on the scale, according to new research. A study found that waist measurements can identify potential cardiovascular risks that may be overlooked when doctors rely solely on body mass index (BMI).
Researchers from the Cross-Cohort Collaboration analyzed data from nearly 260,000 adults enrolled in 15 long-term health studies, following participants for approximately 20 years. The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, indicated that some individuals classified as normal weight based on BMI still exhibited higher levels of fat around their midsection.
Among participants in the normal and overweight BMI ranges, those with larger waist measurements or higher waist-to-hip ratios generally faced a 15% to 50% greater risk of various heart-related problems and mortality during the study period. These results suggest that examining how weight is distributed across the body may provide a more comprehensive understanding of health risks than BMI alone.
“BMI only tells us weight relative to height; it doesn’t indicate where fat is stored, and that matters,” said Erin Palinski-Wade, a New Jersey-based registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, and author of The Sleepdemic Solution. Palinski-Wade, who was not involved in the study, emphasized that fat accumulated around the abdomen poses different health concerns compared to fat stored elsewhere in the body.
“Where you carry fat matters more than how much you carry, because visceral fat, the fat wrapped around abdominal organs, is metabolically active tissue that drives inflammation, insulin resistance, and artery damage in a way that subcutaneous fat does not,” she explained.
The research underscores why relying on BMI alone may not provide a complete picture of an individual’s heart health. “BMI doesn’t tell the whole story; where you carry fat may matter more than the number on the scale,” Palinski-Wade added.
Researchers examined several health outcomes over the course of the study, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and cardiovascular-related deaths. However, the study also noted several limitations, including the lack of information on participants’ physical activity, diets, or genetic predispositions to obesity, all of which can influence cardiovascular disease risk.
Additionally, the study measured waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio only once, which limited researchers’ ability to assess how changes in abdominal fat over time may affect heart disease risk.
As the findings suggest, a more nuanced approach to assessing health risks may be necessary, one that considers both BMI and waist measurements. This could lead to better prevention strategies and health outcomes for individuals at risk of cardiovascular disease.
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