Do you want to stay healthy and avoid diseases? According to UK health experts, cutting your waistline to less than half your height may be more important than simply measuring your body mass index BMI.
The accumulation of fat around the waist, known as “central adiposity,” is a major risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.
Measuring waist-to-height ratio rather than BMI can be more useful because BMI does not account for excess weight around the abdomen. They are also ineffective in people with a BMI greater than 35, pregnant women, or children under the age of two, according to the BBC. According to new draught guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, if you’re 5ft 9 inches tall, your waist measurement should be less than 87.5cm (34 inches) – or half your height (NICE).
According to the guidelines, Asians and some ethnic groups are more prone to central adiposity.
The recommendation is that these people use lower obesity BMI thresholds to help predict their specific health risks.
“Increased abdominal fat increases a person’s risk of developing several life-threatening diseases, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” she added.
According to the updated guidelines, doctors should consider using the waist-to-height ratio in children and young people over the age of five to assess and predict health risks.
According to the report, healthcare professionals and the general public can comment on the proposed recommendations in the guidelines before they are published in May.
