Large waistline ‘increases risk of death’

People with a large waist circumference could be at increased risk of dying prematurely, regardless of their body mass indices (BMIs), a study has suggested.

The research, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, involved 48,500 men and 56,343 women, aged 50 or over, who were enrolled in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort.

A total of 9,315 men and 5,332 women died between 1997 and the end of 2006.

The results showed that a very high waist measurement was associated with around a twofold increase in the risk of mortality in both men and women.

High waist measurements were positively associated with mortality within all categories of BMI.

Last month, a study conducted by researchers from Canada, the Netherlands and the UK found that people with a large waistline are more at risk of developing coronary heart disease, which could provide people with motivation to lose weight.

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