Dutch scientists believe that waist size could be an accurate predictor of heart disease. In a study published yesterday, they discovered that not only were half of all heart disease cases linked to being overweight but that BMI and waist measurements could be an indicator for the risk of dying from heart disease.
Over 10 years the scientists studied 20,000 men and women aged between 20 and 65. They discovered that weight was a strong indicator of fatal heart disease. They adjusted the statistics to take into account the general population, as average weight was lower than the average for the volunteers, and concluded that 1 in 3 heart fatalities were due to weight.
This means that the 67,000 deaths from heart disease recorded in Britain each year could have far stronger links to weight than previously realised. Health charities have warned that by 2015, obesity rates could double, putting huge strain on NHS resources.
It was found that patients with a waist circumference that put them in the obese category, namely in men over 102 cm and in women more than 88cm, were three times more likely to develop heart disease.
Chief researcher Dr. Ineke Van Dis said of the findings that in the future, the impact of obesity was likely to drastically increase the ‘burden of heart disease’. He added that for health services and consumer groups, this meant that there was an even greater need for policies to prevent obesity in the first place.