If you’re lucky, you haven’t had to struggle with weight gain. Some people manage to stay trim even while they seemingly eat anything they want. And they don’t have to worry about getting any extra exercise because they’re always in the right weight range for their sex and age.
But a study released on November 9th found that even those who seem eternally slim might need to better manage their weight. The study shows that people who are considered to be at a normal weight, but who carry an inordinate amount of body fat around their waistline, are at a higher risk of disease than overweight or obese people whose body fat is concentrated in their hips and thighs.
The study found that people are in the higher-risk group if their waist measurement is larger than their hip measurement. The risk increases for men whose waist measures more than 40 inches and for women whose waist measures more than 35 inches.
The study used data from a U.S. government survey of 15,000 people over 14 years. 3,200 participants died during the timeframe of the survey.
BMI, or body mass index, has long been used as a way to classify body weight, including “normal”, “overweight” and “obese”. But the study found that having a “normal” BMI doesn’t mean you can ignore your health and keep eating a bowl of ice cream every night.
Study researchers looked at the waist-to-hip ratio (the waist measurement divided by the hip measurement) of the survey participants. A waist-to-hip ratio greater than one indicates a higher risk of disease.
At all BMI levels, including those in the “normal” range, people with larger waist circumferences had a higher risk of death than people with slimmer waists and people whose BMI fell into the “overweight” and “obese” ranges, but whose weight was more evenly distributed.
The fat that surrounds the organs in your lower abdomen have been linked to diabetes, heart disease and metabolic abnormalities more than the fat from elsewhere in your body.
But the ease at which you can spot a pot belly doesn’t mean it’s any easier to lose. You can’t target abdominal fat with stomach exercises like sit-ups. Abdominal exercises build your stomach muscles, but they don’t get rid of fat around your stomach any more or less than they get rid of fat elsewhere in your body.
Like all weight loss, getting rid of abdominal fat means eating a balanced, nutritious diet and getting enough physical activity to make sure you burn more calories than you eat.
If you’re concerned about fat around your middle, the nutritional consultants at your nearest Herbal One Centre can help you lose it. Stop by for a visit today.