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Watching
the size of one's belly may be the best way to protect the
heart, according to a new study.
Previous
studies had found that belly size measured by waist-to-hip
ratio -- the circumference of the waist divided by the circumference
of the hips -- is a better predictor of stroke than body mass
index, which takes into account a person's weight and height.
Now Finnish
researchers have taken the waist-to-hip ratio approach a step
further to include coronary heart disease in their study highlighted
in the May 1st issue of the European Heart Journal.
The researchers
measured the waist-to-hip ratios and body mass indexes of
1,346 Finnish men between the ages of 42 to 60 who had neither
cardiovascular disease nor cancer at the beginning of the
study.
During
the 10 years that the study lasted, 123 acute coronary events
occurred among the participants. The researchers found that
those with higher waist-to-hip ratios had nearly a threefold
higher risk of coronary events than those with lower waist-to-hip
ratios.
"Since
the effect of abdominal obesity was strongest in smoking and
unfit men, the strategy for lifestyle modification to prevent
coronary heart disease should address these issues jointly,"
the researchers concluded.
Source:
Heart
Disease Week of June 2, 2002
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