Abdominal fat predicts heart disease risk better than BMI
A study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology suggests that abdominal fat measurements are more accurate predictors of heart disease risk than BMI. Researchers argue that relying solely on BMI can lead to the misclassification of cardiovascular health risks.
Why it matters
This finding could shift clinical diagnostic standards, leading to more accurate heart disease risk assessments and preventative care.
Contact: Olivia Walther, owalther@acc.org ,
The size of a person's midsection is a better indicator of cardiovascular disease risk when compared to their body mass index (BMI) alone, according to a study published in JACC , the flagship journal of the American College of Cardiology. BMI has traditionally been used to determine overweight or obesity, common risk factors for heart disease, but this study shows that not accounting for waist circumference (WC) or waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) can lead to misclassification of cardiovascular disease risk.
"Indeed, it appears that WC and WHR reclassify risk defined by traditional BMI thresholds," said Michael J. Blaha, MD, MPH, senior author of the study and director of clinical research at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. "We saw individuals with clinically determined normal weight who had elevated central adiposity and high WHR, associating them with higher risk across most outcomes."
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in