The cardiovascular and metabolic risk is greater when the fat is located in the belly.
The body mass index (BMI) allows you to quickly assess an individual’s overall build and to know if there is a risk of thinness, overweight or obesity. Although it provides benchmark values, this indicator nevertheless remains very limited because it does not take into account bone structure, age, sex, or the muscle/fat ratio. A muscular rugby player can very easily have a BMI of 30 and be considered “obese” even though he has very little body fat and is in perfect health. Taken literally, without context or analysis, the BMI is insufficiently meaningful. As a reminder, BMI was originally used in the army to categorize recruits according to their build and not as a medical tool.
Measuring your waistline then takes on its full meaning. “It is a complementary indicator of BMI, relevant and predictive of a possible health problem because it can reflect excess abdominal fat surrounding the organs (heart, liver, pancreas, etc.) and which can disrupt their proper functioning.“, explains Françoise Debuy, dietitian and member of the Reflection Group on Obesity and Overweight (GROS). “Cardiovascular and metabolic risk, in particular coronary diseases such as heart attacks, are greater when the fat mass is located in the stomach.“, adds Laurence Murillo, dietician-nutritionist in Bayonne.
In France, the High Authority of Health (HAS) indicates that from a waist circumference greater than 80 cm for women and 94 cm for men, the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases (heart attack , stroke…) is increased. Worse still if the waist circumference is equal to or greater than 88 cm for women and 102 cm for men. It is then necessary to question the existence of the consequences of excess fat and to carry out additional examinations. “The important thing is also to follow the evolution of the waist measurement“, recalls the League against obesity.
If in the space of a year, you gain 4 cm in waist size, you must consult a doctor to put in place new health and diet rules (physical activity, caloric intake, sleep, etc.). To correctly measure your waistline: clear the abdominal region of any clothing, belt or accessory. Stand in front of a mirror with your feet shoulder-width apart and your abdomen relaxed. Pass the tape measure around the waist (at the level of the navel) making sure that the tape measure remains horizontal, has not twisted and is not buried in the flesh.