According to a new Oxford University study, every extra inch on one’s waistline can really affect health to the point that it increases the risk of heart failure by no less than 11 percent!
With that being said, expert nutritionists and lifestyle gurus are stressing that losing weight is not enough if you want to live a long and healthy life.
In reality, getting rid of inches around the midsection in particular should be the main focus.
The research was presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Barcelona not too long ago, and determined that people with thicker waists are over three times more likely to suffer heart failure when compared to slimmer people!
On the other hand, when only taking into consideration overall weight, the heaviest participants were 2.65 times more likely to suffer the same condition, suggesting that belly fat is more dangerous than a higher BMI.
Dr. Ayodipupo Oguntade, the study’s lead researcher, confirmed this to be the case, noting that a high amount of “trunk fat” is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases.
As part of this study, the research team looked at no fewer than 430,000 British people over the course of 13 years, monitoring their health.
The results are really enlightening and useful since almost a million British people suffer heart failure, 200,000 new cases adding up to that number every single year.
In fact, it is the number one cause of hospitalization for people over the age of 65.
British Heart Foundation’s James Leiper stated that “Heart failure is a chronic and incurable condition that worsens over time, so these findings underline the importance of managing your weight now.”
As a result, experts are encouraging people to regularly measure their waist size.
According to Health body Nice, the waist of an adult should be less than half their height.
