Body mass and waist
size can predict heart
disease
A new report by Dutch scientists indicate that measuring the
body mass index or waist size in overweight people can
accurately predict the risk of heart disease.
What a shocker!
The study, which was conducted over 10 years, found that
half of all fatal heart disease cases and a quarter of all
non-fatal cases are linked to being overweight and having a
high body mass index (BMI) or large waist.
Again, what a shocker!
Body mass index and waist circumference are well known risk
factors for cardiovascular diseases but the Dutch researchers
said their work showed BMI and waist size could actually help
predict the risk of dying from or developing heart disease.
This particular study indicates the
substantial effect which being
overweight and obesity have on cardiovascular disease, whether
fatal of non-fatal.
Researchers analyzed the measurements between both
BMI and waist circumference in 20,500 men and women 1993 and
1997.
That's a large study, for those of you not familiar with the
scientific method.
When age-adjusted BMI and waist sizes were correlated with
hospital records and cause-of-death data over 10 years, more
than half (53 percent) of all fatal heart disease cases and
around a quarter (25-30 percent) of all non-fatal cases were in
people defined as overweight and obese.
Overweight people are defined as having a BMI of between 25
and 30 and obese people of 30 or more, according to the World
Health Organization (WHO). BMI is calculated by dividing weight
in kilograms by height in meters squared.
So, a 160 lb person weighs about 72.5 kg. If the same
person stood 5 foot 7 1/2, (1.7145 meters).
72.5 kg / 1.7145 (squared) or 2.94
This individual would have a BMI of 24.66. (So, I'm
safe...barely... whew!)
Critics of the BMI measurement say that it does not account
for athletes, body builders and cultures of indiginously large
people (e.g. Samoans).
Waist circumference measurements in men were defined as
between 94 and 101.9 cm for overweight and more than 102 cm for
obese. In women these measurements were 80-87.9 cm for
overweight and more than 88 cm for obese.
Got your tape measure out yet? Now for the bad
news.
Obesity is increasing throughout the world and is now
recognized as a major global public health
concern.
Forget global warming. Think global obesity.
Maybe if we all lost a few pounds, we'd take the stress off
the planet.
Until then, check out these fabulous products to help you
along your path to getting your BMI
right!
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