By KUNA
Washington : Excess fat around the waist may increase the risk of death in women due to higher threat of developing cancer or heart disease, more so than in women with slimmer waistlines, top researchers reported on Monday.
Researchers from Harvard University and the National Institute of Health found that a woman with a waist size greater than 35 inches was twice as likely to die prematurely, even if they are of normal weight, than a woman with a waist size less than 28 inches, regardless of their amount of body fat. The same holds true for women and the likelihood of cancer.
Though previous studies have linked fat around the mid-section with increased health problems, like diabetes and heart disease, this study, published in the journal Circulation, analyzed data from 44,000 women over a period of 16 years to see the link between abdominal fat and premature death.
All the women included in the study were registered nurses. At the beginning of the study the women were asked to measure their waists and hips. Every two years, the women completed questionnaires about their health, providing information about their age, activity level, smoking status, diet, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.
The researchers examined the cause of death for all women who died over the course of the study. In total, 3,507 deaths occurred — of these, 1,748 were due to cancer and 751 were due to heart disease.
Moreover, women who had a greater waist circumference and were also obese were at the greatest risk of premature death. Researchers looked at the body mass index (BMI), to estimate the amount of a person’s body fat. A BMI between 18.5 and 24.9 is healthy, researchers said, while a BMI of 30- 39.9 is overweight.
A healthy waist limit for women is 35 inches and for men 40 inches. Waist circumference is determined by measuring around the waist of the navel line.
“The current findings highlight the role that research can play in understanding the risks of obesity,” said Elias A. Zerhouni, Director of the National Institutes of Health.
“Although maintaining a healthy weight should continue to be a corner stone in the prevention of chronic diseases and premature death, maintaining a healthy waist size should also be an important goal,” the study authors wrote.