The measuring tape is the new stethoscope as the bulge on your tummy could be a sign of deeper problems," warn the experts.
“Waist circumference is an 'absolute vital sign' in determining your health. And it is time everyone stopped measuring just the weight and measured the waist as well," advises Dr Nalin Nag, Consultant, Internal Medicine, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi. "For women, a waist size of more than 35 inches signals potential trouble; in men, it is 40 inches," he warns.
We all know that the excess pounds increase the risk of certain diseases; but what we don't realise is that where we carry the weight counts too. Hefty hips and thighs (a pear-shaped body) may not look appealing in the mirror, but research now says that abdominal fat (an apple-shaped body) is more hazardous to health.
Explains Dr Nag, "People with wide girths have larger amounts of deep-hidden belly fat around their organs. This is a dangerous kind of fat, which often winds up gathering around vital organs and increases a person's risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. Also, belly fat doesn't just lay idle at your belt-line; it as an active 'organ' in your body - one that churns out hormones and inflammatory substances."
So, what are the pot belly problems? A direct correlation has been found between bigger waists in women and heart disease, diabetes, varicose veins, and breast and colon cancer risks.
While obesity has always been known as a risk factor for breast cancer, researchers have found waist size as an independent risk factor. They warn that extra fat adds most risk after menopause,when women are already at a higher risk of developing breast cancer because of their increasing age. A correlation has also been found with colon cancer. "Belly fat could possibly increase colon cancer risk by raising levels of certain hormones that affect cell growth, including the growth of cancer cells," writes Dr Tobias Pischon, lead author of a recent study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, USA. The study reports that when it comes to colon cancer, women have the highest risk. It found that the study's female participants with the most abdominal fat had a 48 per cent greater chance of developing colon cancer than men, who stand a slightly lower chance of 39 per cent.
Heart-damaging
And that's not all. The apple-shaped woman is not wrong in envying the pear-shaped figure of her friend. According to a Danish study, a woman is nearly five times more likely to die of heart disease if she has both a big waist and a high level of fats in her blood. Dr Lázló B. Tankó and colleagues at the Centre for Clinical and Basic Research in Ballerup, Denmark, reported their findings in the April 2005 issue of the journal, 'Circulation'. In fact, Dr Tankó writes, "lower-body fat may actually be protective. The reason being that below-the-waist fat cells produce a hormone that fights some of the heart-damaging effects of upper-body fat."
Back pain and fatigue are two other common side effects. "Fat in the belly pulls the lower spine forward, arching the lower back and causing pain. A taut belly can better support the spine, thus improving your posture and reducing back pain," explains Dr Raju Vaish, Orthopaedic Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
While the easiest thing to do would be to blame an overweight ancestor and those genes, it would only be fair to figure out how much exercise and just how much food the body has been treated to.
