Watch your waistline, every extra inch increases the risk of heart failure

According to a study, too many centimeters located on the abdominal belt increase the risk of heart failure by 11%.

The pounds that accumulate around your waist can put you in danger. According to a new study, presented at the Congress of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona and relayed by The Mirror, excess fat located in the abdominal belt can represent a danger to heart health.

This study was conducted among 430,000 Britons aged between 40 and 70 and for 13 years. Nearly 9,000 participants suffered from heart failure during this time. Thus, those with the largest waist circumference were 3.21 times more likely to suffer from heart failure than those without. Specifically, those in the group with the highest BMI had a 2.65 times higher risk of heart failure than those with the lowest BMI.

“The amount of fat people carry around their waist is more important in tracking body fat and overall cardiovascular risk. We know that visceral adipose tissue – the fat that surrounds the organs of the abdomen – is very active and contains many inflammatory factors that can cause cardiovascular disease.“, explained Dr. Ayodipupo Oguntade, lead author of this study.

Something to watch out for

In detail, the authors of this research ensure that each extra “inch” (2.5 centimeters) around the waist increases the risk of heart failure by 11%. Additionally, heart attacks increased by 4% for each additional inch of waist circumference.

“A larger waist circumference is often a sign that you have too much visceral fat around your internal organs which impairs the functioning of the heart and blood vessels“, warns James Leiper, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

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