Traditionally we always think in terms of BMI ( body mass index) when defining obesity and evaluating its health risks. However, more than subcutaneous fat ( fat under our skin) visceral fat ( fat inside our internal organs) is more harmful to our health.
And abdominal obesity is more reflective of visceral fat than our BMI.
For health, the issue is not how much we weigh, but how much abdominal fat we have.
Abdominal obesity is a mega-disease that is gulping our population very fast. It has become so prevalent that now even kids are starting to have belly fat!
Too much of abdominal fat significantly increases the risks of a heart disease and many other chronic medical conditions independent of the body weight.
How do you know if you have excessive abdominal fat to the point that it is increasing your risk of a heart disease?
The easiest way to know that is to measure your waist circumference.
How to measure waist circumference:
Remove clothing from the waist line.
Stand with feet shoulder width apart (25 to 30 centimetres or 10 to 12 inches) and back straight.
Locate the top of the hip bone. This is the part of the hip bone at the side of the waist not at the front of the body. Use the area between the thumb and index finger to feel for the hip bone at the side of the waist.
Align the bottom edge of the measuring tape with the top of the hip bone. Wrap the tape measure all the way around the waist. Ensure that the tape measure is parallel to the floor and not twisted.
Take two normal breaths and on the exhale of the second breath tighten the tape measure so it is snug but not digging into the skin.
Take the measure of the waist to the nearest 0.5 cm (1/4 inch)
These instructions are taken from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
You can also view a video demonstration here.
Table 2: Interpreting your waist circumference
Men Women
Low risk 37 inches and below 31.5 inches and below
Intermediate risk 37.1–39.9 inches 31.6–34.9 inches
High risk 40 inches and above 35 inches and above
These parameters are for a Caucasian population. If you are an Asian then for men, waist circumference of 35 inches or more, and for women,waist circumference of 31 inches or more signifies a higher risk.
This visceral fat(the fat located around the internal organs) is the true villain when it comes to our health. It releases some metabolic products and toxins in our blood slowly which makes our body resistant to the action of Insulin hormone. This dysfunction ultimately causes the metabolic imbalance in our body and if not corrected leads to many chronic medical conditions as below.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus
Lipid abnormalities(High Cholesterol)
Hypertension
Sleep apnea
Liver disease
Erectile dysfunction
Heart disease
So we must understand the medical science behind abdominal obesity and scientific ways to get rid of it to prevent or cure these medical conditions.
Join us on March 23rd to learn more: https://www.deesha.org/event-info/abdominal-obesity
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