A recent study presented at the annual conference of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes suggests that body composition may be a better indicator of your health risks than BMI.
Data from more than 380,000 white UK citizens were evaluated by researchers from University College Cork and McMaster University in Canada to look for correlations between high body fat, where that body fat was deposited, and risk of early mortality.
They discovered that, in line with other studies, greater body fat levels were associated with a higher chance of dying young.
However, a higher waist-to-hip ratio, a more precise measurement of fat accumulated around the abdominal region, including the organs, was shown to be associated with health hazards.
According to studies, an increase in waist-to-hip ratio was associated with a risk of early mortality that was nearly twice as high as an increase in BMI. Additionally, males were more strongly associated with waist-to-hip ratio and health hazards than women.
Irfan Khan, the project’s principal researcher and a medical student at University College Cork, believes that the new study results may help overcome a significant drawback of attempting to gauge health risks using body mass index (BMI), the ratio of height to weight.
“It doesn’t take into account where fat is deposited, such as on the hips or the waist. BMI hence is not a reliable indicator of mortality or illness risk “In a news statement, Khan said. “This might indicate that despite the health dangers of abdominal fat, someone who has acquired fat around their waist will have the same BMI as someone of the same age and height who accumulates their fat around the hips.”
BMI has previously been under fire from certain physicians for being an unreliable indicator of a patient’s health since it doesn’t take other factors into consideration when determining weight, such as heredity, muscle mass, and more.
Contrarily, according to the researchers, waist-to-hip ratio may help show a greater proportion of abdominal fat, such as visceral fat, which accumulates near the organs like the heart. Regardless of BMI, past evidence reveals that excess visceral fat is associated with a higher risk of heart disease and other potentially deadly illnesses.
The researchers discovered that a lower waist-to-hip ratio was linked to a decreased risk of early mortality in the most current study, but a larger waist-to-hip ratio may identify those at higher risk of chronic disease. According to Khan, the new data may contribute to improved patient outcomes and treatment.
In the news release, he said that “a more precise assessment of a healthy body shape may make a major difference to the poor health and mortality caused by type 2 diabetes, heart disease, certain malignancies, and countless other illnesses.”