Women With Bigger Waist and Hips Have Higher Heart Attack Risk

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1.9 billion adults worldwide are overweight or obese, putting them at an increased risk for heart attacks. A new study has found that one’s hip and waist size may be an early indication, especially for women.

Over 479,600 overweight European adults with no history of heart disease, at an average age of 56 years old participated in the study and 5,710 of them experienced heart attacks over a period of 7 years.

While heart attacks are more common in obese people, the risk is significantly higher among those with an unusually large waist circumference or a high waist-to-hip ratio. This is because visceral fat (fat that is accumulated around the midsection) is more active and can increase inflammation, which causes diabetes and coronary artery disease.

The WHO recommends a maximum healthy waist-to-hip ratio of 0.9 for men and 0.85 for women.