The scale often does not tell the entire story about health, overall body fat and risk for disease. Measuring your waist circumference is an easy and inexpensive way to evaluate your risk for obesity related disease.
An elevated waist circumference can indicate an increased risk of cardiometabolic disease. A measurement is considered elevated if over 40 inches for men and over 35 inches for women. For Asian Americans, a measurement of over 35 inches for men and 31 inches for women is considered abnormal.
You can measure this yourself at home!
How to measure-
- Obtain a flexible measuring tape.
- Standing up, place the measuring tape around your middle section, just above your hip bones.
- Measure your waist just after exhale.
Waist circumference is a good measurement of abdominal obesity.
People with elevated abdominal obesity are known to have increased risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, fatty liver disease as well as generalized increased in all-cause mortality.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/index.html
https://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/calculating-your-waist-circumference
This article is for information purposes only and is not medical advice. Consult with your medical provider prior to any lab testing, diet changes, new supplement/medication and all other medical associated topics/conditions.
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