World | Other World Stories
Fitness is less belly fat at any weight
"Fat and fit" men are likely to have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes because they're relatively trim around the waist, a new study shows.
- Reuters
- Published: 22:58 July 25, 2007
"Fat and fit" men are likely to have a lower risk of heart disease and diabetes because they're relatively trim around the waist, a new study shows.
The higher a man's cardiorespiratory fitness, the less fat he has in his abdominal cavity, Dr Jean-Pierre Despres of Hopital Laval Research Centre in Quebec and colleagues found. The relationship held true regardless of body mass index (BMI), a ratio of weight to height typically used to gauge overweight and obesity.
"This is why it's so, so important for the doctor to measure waist circumference," said Despres, who told Reuters he wants family doctors to check their patients' waist size and triglyceride levels.
High waist circumference combined with high triglyceride levels signal a substantially increased risk of heart disease and diabetes, he explained.
Evidence shows fit people are at reduced risk of heart disease, even though they may be overweight or even obese based on their BMI, Despres and his team note in the Archives of Internal Medicine. At the same time, people of normal weight with bulging bellies risk heart disease.
More from Other World Stories
More from World
News Editor's choice
-
Allies quit ruling coalition in Nepal
Political row could trigger months of street protests and violence
-
Qatar blaze 'started at nursery'
Fire killed 19 including 13 children, at Doha’s main shopping centre
-
Jagan jailed over illegal assets
Andhra Pradesh leader accused of corruption, cheating, conspiracy
