Key to Good Health: Waistline Should be Less Than Half of Your Height

Highlights

Cutting your waistline to less than half of your height to be in good health
Waist-to-height ratio should be measured to keep chronic diseases at bay
Accumulation of fat in the abdomen may up your risk of obesity, diabetes and heart disease

Maintain good health by keeping your waistline to less than half of your height and is better than measuring body mass index (BMI), reveal UK health experts. //

The high build-up of fat around the waist, called "central adiposity," is a major cause for increasing the risk of Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

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‘Accumulation of fat in the abdomen can increase your risk of developing several life-limiting diseases including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.’

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Measuring waist-to-height ratio instead of just BMI can be more useful as BMI does not take into account excess weight around the abdomen. They are also not accurate in people with a BMI over 35, pregnant women or children under two, BBC reported.

For example, if you’re 5 feet 9 inches tall, then your waist measurement should be less than 87.5 cm (34 inches) — or half your height, according to new draft guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

The guidance stated that Asians and some ethnic groups are more prone to central adiposity.

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The recommendation suggests these people make use of lower BMI thresholds for obesity to help predict their specific health risks.

"Explain to people that to measure their waist, they should find the bottom of their ribs and the top of their hips, wrap a tape measure around the waist midway between these points and breathe out naturally before taking the measurement," said NICE the guidelines.

While some experts feel trying "new ways" to get people to think about their health is not harmful, others said that measuring the waistline doesn’t work for people who are very short or people over the age of 60 years who may have lost height with aging.

But Prof. Rachel Batterham, consultant in obesity, diabetes and endocrinology, disagrees, the report said.

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"Waist-to-height ratio is a simple, easy-to-use measure that identifies people who are at increased health risk and would benefit from weight management support to improve their health," Batterham was quoted as saying.

"Increased fat in the abdomen increases a person’s risk of developing several life-limiting diseases including type 2 diabetes and heart disease," she added.

The updated guidelines noted that doctors should also consider using waist-to-height ratio in children and young people aged over five to assess and predict health risks.

Healthcare professionals and the public can comment on the proposed recommendations in the guidelines before they are published in May, the report said.

Source-IANS