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Waist measurement key to diabetes, heart risks
Waist measurement key to diabetes, heart risks -- Posted by Gumbo on 10-31-04 05:11
Waist measurement key to diabetes, heart risks
Oct 14 (Reuters) - Waist circumference, rather than overall weight, is the
truest indicator of an increased risk of diabetes or heart disease, a
leading British health expert said on Wednesday.
Although being overweight raises susceptibility to certain illnesses, the
main threat to health lies in where the extra weight is carried.
Fat deposited on the stomach or abdomen, the classic beer gut, is more
dangerous than extra pounds on the thighs because the fat cells around the
waist pump out chemicals that can damage the insulin system - raising the
risk of diabetes and heart disease.
"Waist circumference can predict the risks of type 2 diabetes and heart
disease more accurately than weight," Professor Anthony Barnett of the
University of Birmingham told an obesity conference.
"Thicker waistlines may double to quadruple the risks, compared to those
with slimmer waistlines."
Barnett told a meeting of the National Obesity Forum in London that if
obesity continues at the current rate, 10 percent of the British population
will suffer from diabetes and related complications in the next decade.
"Men with waists of more than 40 inches (101 cm) and women with waist
measurements of more than 35 inches (89 cm) are at an incredibly high risk
of type 2 diabetes and heart disease," Barnett said.
Diabetes is caused by a deficiency or lack of insulin. People with type 1
diabetes do not produce any insulin and need daily injections. Type 2
diabetes, the most common type of the disease, is caused by an inability to
make enough, or to properly use insulin.
Insulin helps the glucose from food get into cells. If a person does not
produce enough or if it isn't used properly by the body, glucose stays in
the blood. The larger a person's waistline, the more resistant they become
to insulin.
"The more resistant you are to insulin, the more insulin the body has to
produce from the pancreas gland in order to have the same effect," Barnett a
dded. "Eventually the pancreas becomes exhausted and either stops producing
as much insulin, or, in severe cases, may stop producing insulin
altogether."
Bulging waistlines can also increase the risk of high blood pressure and
raised cholesterol levels.
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