Widening waists spark heart risks
Updated on 13 August 2007
People who develop even a small "pot belly" have a higher risk of heart disease, experts have revealed.
Researchers published more evidence to highlight the importance of trying to keep the middle-aged spread under control.
A study found there was a noticeably higher risk of heart disease if the waist expanded by just a few inches, even though a person's overall weight may still be within the normal range.
The research, carried out at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre in Dallas, was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
It reinforces a growing belief among some experts that the waist to hip ratio is a more important factor in measuring heart disease risk than body mass index or waist circumference alone.
Dr James de Lemos, director of the coronary care unit at the centre, said: "In our 30s and 40s, we often gain three to four inches in the midsection.
"It's a day-to-day, meal-to-meal battle, but it's worth fighting.
"Even a small pot belly puts us at higher risk when compared to a flat tummy."
Dr de Lemos and his researchers looked at 2,744 men and women, who had an average age of 45. They then examined the relationship between a person's body shape and early signs of disease in the arteries.
The researchers concluded that the likelihood of there being calcium deposits in the arteries grew in direct proportion with the increase in waist to hip ratio.
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