By Kirsten Houmann, Ivanhoe Health Correspondent
ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Having a normal body mass index (BMI) doesn't necessarily mean you're free of dangerous body fat. New research shows weight around your waist that may escape a BMI test could be deadly.
Results of a recent study involving more than 350,000 people across Europe shows having a large waistline can almost double your risk of dying prematurely even if your BMI is within normal range -- and the risk may be even larger for those with a low BMI.
"We found that those persons who have a low BMI but a large waist circumference are those who have the highest risk of death," lead study author Tobias Pischon, an epidemiologist at the German Institute of Human Nutrition in Postdam-Rehbr?cke, told Ivanhoe.
A comparison of participants with the same body mass index showed the risk of premature death increased as waist circumference increased. The risk doubled for men with waist sizes larger than 47.2 inches and women with waist sizes larger than 39.4 inches compared to men with waists smaller than 31.5 inches and women with waists smaller than 25.6 inches.
Each 5-centimeter increase in waist size increased the risk of death by 17 percent in men and 13 percent in women. Waist-to-hip ratio was also shown to be an important indicator of health. Each 0.1 unit increase in the ratio was related to a 34 percent higher risk of death in men and a 24 percent higher risk in women.
"You should be aware of your waist circumference, even if you have a normal BMI," Dr. Pischon advised.
Dr. Pischon said the study poses new questions for researchers to look into about body shape's role in weight control.
"One question is how can you lose weight, or how can you prevent gaining weight?" Dr. Pischon said. "The more difficult question is how can you prevent people from obtaining a certain body shape?"
SOURCE: Ivanhoe interview with Dr. Tobias Pischon; New England Journal of Medicine, 2008;359:2105-2120
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