Large waistlines increase risk of premature death

Latest study shows that large waists associated with early death Having a large waistline can almost double your risk of an early death, even if you are not normally considered overweight. These are the conclusions of a huge European wide study, published today in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Scientists at Imperial College London and other European science institutes, measured the waistlines of almost 360,000 adults in ten European countries including the UK,over a ten year period. Weight, height and hip size were also recorded. This also allowed the researchers to calculate body mass index (BMI) of the participants involved. Previous studies have shown the BMI to be useful at predicting those at higher risk of cancer and heart disease. (The BMI is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in metres squared). They found:

* When people with the same body mass index were compared, the risk of an early death increased with increasing waist size.
* Each 5cm increase in waist size increased the risk of premature death by 17% in men and 13% in women.
* People with large waistlines (more than 120cm/47.2in men, 100cm/39.4in women) had almost double the risk of early death when compared with those with smaller waistlines
* Those with BMI of 25.3 for men and 24.3 for women were least at risk from a premature death
* Increasing waist:hip ratios were also associated with a higher mortality risk

"The most important result is the finding that not just being overweight, but also the distribution of body fat, affects the risk of premature death of each individual," said Elio Riboli, the European co-ordinator for the study.

Although the researchers did not explain why some people have larger waists than others, they speculated that factors such as diet, exercise and genetics all play a role.

This article was published on Thu 13 November 2008

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