Large Waist Linked to Increased Risk of Death

Waist circumference is a measure of abdominal obesity, with previous studies linking the measurement to increased risk of death -- independent of body mass index (BMI). Eric J. Jacobs, from the American Cancer Society (Georgia, USA), and colleagues studied the association between waist circumference and mortality within categories of BMI. The team assessed data collected on 48,500 men and 56,343 women, ages 50 years and up, enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort study.  The study subjects with the biggest waistlines (correlating with intra-abdominal obesity) were at increased risk of death within every category of BMI.  As well, among men with a normal BMI (defined as 18.5 to <25), each increase of 10 cm (3.9 inches) in waist circumference raised their mortality risk by 16% (as compared with men with higher BMI categories). Similarly, for women with a normal BMI, each 10 cm (3.9 inch) increase in girth increased their risk of dying by 25% (as compared with heavier women). The researchers conclude that: “These results emphasize the importance of [waist circumference] as a risk factor for mortality in older adults, regardless of [body mass index].”