Being overweight can lead to heart problems. A person who carries an extra kilo of weight overall is not always at risk of heart trouble, but an excess of weight over the tummy and extra inches on the waist are hazardous to health.
In other words, if a person is fat all over, from head to toe, it is less risky than the person with a fat stomach and waist. In which case, it is advisable for fat people to use a tape measure rather than getting on the bathroom scales, especially to keep heart disease in check.
Even if the bathroom scales show the body weight is within the normal range, nevertheless, carrying even a small ‘pot belly’ or thickened waist means a higher risk of heart problems.
Large bellies and wide waists are responsible for producing calcium deposits in the arteries, which themselves are responsible for forming the plaque that hardens the arteries and increases the risk of heart attacks. There is a bigger risk of building up plaque in the aorta – the body’s main artery – in those people with ‘pot bellies’ and thickened waists.
Existing research carried out by the experts shows that a few inches extra around the abdomen is the external sign of a build up of fat in the arteries internally.
Therefore, extra fat around the abdomen and waist is more dangerous than extra fat on the hips. So, according to those experts, it is advisable to keep abdominal and waist fat under control, which could be a more accurate guide than the body mass index, which is related to the height of the body.
But researchers who studied the details of ‘Obesity and Heart problems’ found that the possibility of there being calcium deposits in the arteries grew in direct proportion with the increase in waist to hip ratio.
Measure the hips at the widest part and the waist above the crest and below the navel. Now just divide waist by hip measurement to get the waist to hip ratio.
In general, a ratio equal to or lower than 0.7 for females and 0.9 for males is a sign of general good health. However, a waist circumference for a male of over 40 inches, and over 35 inches for a female, is a sign of danger and these individuals should seek specialist advice.
Apart from regular walk, certain special types of exercises are to be sought to reduce the said fat. Diet control is equally important and a must in the issue.
———————————
Ends
No Comment