Get the measure of personal obesity
KEEPING your waist measurement to less than half your height might be a better indicator of obesity than BMI, which measures body fat.
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KEEPING your waist measurement to less than half your height might be a better indicator of obesity than BMI.
The BMI or body mass index favoured by most medicos measures body fat based on height and weight.
A BMI of more than 25 is considered obese, but many can fail the test when they are not overweight.
Obesity experts from the UK now say waist to height ratio is a better screening tool than waist circumference alone, or BMI, after analysing over 30 studies involving more than 300,000 adults.
The findings, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, showed that waist-to-height ratio was more accurate at predicting diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
"Waist-to-height ratio should therefore be considered as a screening tool," obesity expert Margaret Ashwell said.
Robert Grenfell from the National Heart Foundation recommended the method.
"It's easy to do and it takes into account different body shapes. The study shows it's a good indicator of cardiovascular disease risk."
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