|
Waist circumference is a good predictor of your risk for heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol and type 2 diabetes. This fat stored around your middle is more dangerous to your health than fat stored around the hips and thighs. This is why people talk about being an apple or a pear shape.
Excess fat stored around the middle is described as an apple body shape. It is associated with greater health risks than the pear body shape where fat is located in the hip and thigh area.
Waist circumference measurement does not apply to pregnant or nursing women, people under the age of 18 or over the age of 65.
Generally, as your waist circumference increases, so does your risk for health problems due to excess body fat. This is true even for people whose body mass index (BMI) is in the normal range, but their waist circumference is high.
The Heart & Stroke Foundation uses different cut-offs for both your gender and ethnicity. Females typically have smaller frames than males; the same is true with certain ethnic groups. These cut-offs are approximate. Waist circumferences just below these cut-offs may also be associated with increased health risk.
| Ethnicity |
Male |
Female |
| European/Caucasian, Sub-Sahara Africans, Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern |
102 cm (40 inches) |
88 cm (35 inches) |
| South Asian, Malaysian, Asian, Chinese, Japanese, Ethnic South and Central America |
90 cm (35 inches) |
80 cm (32 inches) |
|
Source: Heart & Stroke Foundation, January 2010.
|
If you are close to or above the cutoffs for your gender and ethnicity, you are at increased risk for developing health problems.
Speak with your health care provider about any concerns you have about your waist circumference or body mass index (BMI).
Contact & More Information
For more information contact EatRight Ontario toll-free at 1.877.510.5102 or find them on the web at www.eatrightontario.ca.
|
