Contact: Olivia Walther, [email protected] ,
WASHINGTON (Aug 11, 2026) -
The size of a person’s midsection is simply a amended parameter of cardiovascular illness consequence erstwhile compared to their assemblage wide scale (BMI) alone, according to a study published successful JACC, the flagship diary of the American College of Cardiology. BMI has traditionally been utilized to find overweight aliases obesity, communal consequence factors for bosom disease, but this study shows that not accounting for waist circumference (WC) aliases waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) tin lead to misclassification of cardiovascular illness risk.
“Indeed, it appears that WC and WHR reclassify consequence defined by accepted BMI thresholds,” said Michael J. Blaha, MD, MPH, elder writer of the study and head of objective investigation astatine Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease. “We saw individuals pinch clinically wished normal weight who had elevated cardinal adiposity and precocious WHR, associating them pinch higher consequence crossed astir outcomes.”
BMI is calculated by dividing weight successful kilograms by tallness successful meters squared and is simply a communal believe for diagnosing obesity. However, BMI cannot relationship for distribution of assemblage fat. Studies person shown that visceral fat, which is fat that surrounds the soul organs successful the abdominal area, is associated pinch chronic diseases for illustration bosom illness and diabetes, while subcutaneous fat, which is located straight nether the skin, is not arsenic powerfully associated.
Despite grounds linking cardinal adiposity, the accumulation of some visceral and subcutaneous fat successful the abdominal area, to adverse cardiovascular wellness outcomes, BMI is still the astir utilized metric to find overweight and obesity and early cardiovascular risk.
This study examines whether adding WC and WHR to BMI amended predicts early cardiovascular risk. Researchers from the Cross Cohort Collaboration looked astatine complete 260,000 group complete an mean of 20 years who had either WC aliases WHR information and astatine slightest 1 of 9 outcomes: clip to first fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction, fatal and non-fatal stroke, bosom failure, atrial fibrillation, full coronary bosom illness (CHD), full cardiovascular illness (CVD), CHD mortality, CVD mortality and/or all-cause mortality.
In individuals pinch normal weight arsenic wished by BMI, 5% had precocious WC and 18% had precocious WHR; among those pinch overweight, 39% had precocious WC and 40% had precocious WHR. Among those pinch obesity, 9% had debased WC and 45% had debased WHR.
Those individuals pinch normal weight aliases overweight and clinically defined precocious WC aliases WHR were associated pinch a 15% - 50% greater consequence for astir of the 9 studied outcomes. Those pinch obesity and debased WC were not recovered to beryllium associated pinch a importantly different consequence of outcomes compared pinch those who had normal weight and debased WC, isolated from for all-cause mortality, for which consequence was importantly lower.
“Our findings stress the captious domiciled of identifying elevated cardinal adiposity, moreover successful individuals pinch a normal BMI aliases pinch a BMI successful the overweight range. Relying solely connected BMI whitethorn consequence successful misclassification of cardiovascular consequence crossed a wide scope of cardiovascular outcomes,” Zeina A. Dardari, PhD, MS, lead writer of the study, said. “We promote clinicians to see cardinal adiposity distribution crossed the full BMI spectrum erstwhile evaluating cardiovascular consequence successful superior prevention settings.”
Limitations of the study see that it did not person measures of beingness activity, fare aliases familial obesity risk, which person each been shown to play a domiciled successful the improvement of CVD. It besides included only 1 appraisal of WC and WHR, which could limit knowing of really changes successful cardinal fat accumulation complete clip influences CVD risk.
“It is clip to wantonness a sole attraction connected assemblage wide index,” said Harlan M. Krumholz, MD, SM, MACC, FAHA, Editor-in-Chief of JACC and the Harold H. Hines, Jr Professor astatine the Yale School of Medicine. “This enormously important study, based connected information from hundreds of thousands of participants successful large-scale cohort studies, authoritatively shows that waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio supply captious accusation astir cardiovascular risk, moreover among group pinch a BMI considered normal. Where fat is distributed matters, and these elemental measures should beryllium portion of regular cardiovascular consequence assessment.”
For an embargoed transcript of the study “Risk Reclassification Beyond BMI by Waist Circumference and Waist-to-Hip Ratio Across Nine Cardiovascular Outcomes: Results from the Cross-Cohort Collaboration,” interaction JACC Media Relations Manager Olivia Walther astatine [email protected].
The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is a world leader dedicated to transforming cardiovascular attraction and improving bosom wellness for all. For much than 75 years, the ACC has empowered a organization of complete 60,000 cardiovascular professionals crossed much than 140 countries pinch cutting-edge acquisition and advocacy, rigorous master credentials, and trusted objective guidance. From its world-class JACC Journals and NCDR registries to its Accreditation Services, world web of Chapters and Sections, and CardioSmart diligent initiatives, the College is committed to creating a world wherever science, knowledge and invention optimize diligent attraction and outcomes. Learn much astatine www.ACC.org aliases link connected societal media astatine @ACCinTouch.
The ACC’s JACC Journals rank among the apical cardiovascular journals successful the world for technological impact. The flagship journal, the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) — and specialty journals consisting of JACC: Advances, JACC: Asia, JACC: Basic to Translational Science, JACC: CardioOncology, JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging, JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions, JACC: Case Reports, JACC: Clinical Electrophysiology and JACC: Heart Failure — pridefulness themselves connected publishing the apical peer-reviewed investigation connected each aspects of cardiovascular disease. Learn much astatine JACC.org.
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