For Women, Larger Waistline Equals Greater Heart Disease Risk

Some people reject the idea that being obese is unhealthy, but the evidence keeps piling up.

From UPI:

A New York Presbyterian Hospital study says women with waistlines of 35 inches or more are at greater risk of heart disease than thinner women.

The research, jointly done with Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation Inc., and published in Thursday's issue of the Journal of Women's Health, studied more than 6,000 women without known heart disease.

It found 90 percent had at least one major risk factor for heart disease, and one-third had three or more. The risk factors included high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Increased waist circumference was also correlated with a woman's 10-year chance of having a heart attack or dying of heart disease.

"Measuring waist circumference may be a simple method that women can identify themselves as being at increased heart-attack risk and empower them to seek further evaluation and possible treatment from their doctors," says lead author Dr. Lori Mosca.