A simple measurement around the waist could reveal important health risks that weight alone may miss, according to new research from Rutgers Health.
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found that measuring waist circumference, either by itself or together with body mass index (BMI), was about as effective as a more complicated new approach that relies on several different body measurements.
The results suggest that something as basic as checking waist size could give doctors and patients a practical way to identify potentially unhealthy levels of body fat and recognize related health concerns earlier.
Waist Size Could Offer an Early Warning
"Pay attention to the need to loosen your belt or get bigger pants," said Aayush Visaria, a faculty member of the Rutgers Health-RWJBarnabas Health Center for Climate, Health, and Healthcare and lead author of the study. "Although clothing size isn't the same as a proper waist circumference measurement, it can be an early sign of unhealthy amounts of body fat. Measuring your waist, along with your weight, can help identify health risks earlier and provide an opportunity to reduce your risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some cancers."
To investigate how well different obesity screening methods work, Rutgers Health researchers analyzed information from 1,900 U.S. adults between the ages of 20 and 59 who took part in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The researchers compared several ways of identifying obesity with a highly accurate method for determining body fat.
