Tummy height tells of heart disease risk: study
Swedish researchers have discovered a simple way for people to determine if they are at risk for cardiovascular disease, claiming it’s more reliable than BMI (Body Mass Index).
The method involves having someone lie on their back and measuring how much his or her stomach sticks up.
Women whose tummies stick up more than 20 centimetres have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, while the risk limit for men’s midsections is 22 centimetres.
And researchers from Uppsala University and Karolinksa Instiutetet in Stockholm have determined that the abdomen measurement method is a better indicator of heart disease risk than other methods, the Upsala Nya Tidning (UNT) reports.
“We are actually the first in the world to come up with a measurement for which abdomen heights are associated with a much higher presence of bad cholesterol, blood sugar level disturbances, and other metabolism problems which can contribute to cardiovascular diseases,” doctor Ulf Risérus of Uppsala University told UNT.
Earlier studies have indicated that the slightly more concentrated fat deep within the abdomen which doesn’t drop down to one’s side when a person lies down is the most dangerous.
This started the researchers thinking about trying to measure abdomen height to develop a better risk indicator.
The study is based on data from 4,000 women and men in the sixties who reside in Stockholm county.
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The method involves having someone lie on their back and measuring how much his or her stomach sticks up.
Women whose tummies stick up more than 20 centimetres have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease, while the risk limit for men’s midsections is 22 centimetres.
And researchers from Uppsala University and Karolinksa Instiutetet in Stockholm have determined that the abdomen measurement method is a better indicator of heart disease risk than other methods, the Upsala Nya Tidning (UNT) reports.
“We are actually the first in the world to come up with a measurement for which abdomen heights are associated with a much higher presence of bad cholesterol, blood sugar level disturbances, and other metabolism problems which can contribute to cardiovascular diseases,” doctor Ulf Risérus of Uppsala University told UNT.
Earlier studies have indicated that the slightly more concentrated fat deep within the abdomen which doesn’t drop down to one’s side when a person lies down is the most dangerous.
This started the researchers thinking about trying to measure abdomen height to develop a better risk indicator.
The study is based on data from 4,000 women and men in the sixties who reside in Stockholm county.
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