The simple 10-second test that can reveal your risk of heart failure – and all you need is a measuring tape
WE'RE a nation obsessed with weight.
And it’s no wonder, with GPs forever urging us to step on the scales.
For years, heart failure risk has been tied to obesity and body mass index (BMI), the standard calculation used by the NHS that compares your weight and height to assess your health.
But now, scientists say your waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) could be a better measure and a more accurate way to predict your risk.
Heart failure is when the heart isn't able to pump enough blood to meet the body's needs.
Symptoms include extreme tiredness, breathlessness, and swollen legs or ankles.
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If left untreated, heart failure can worsen over time and become life-threatening
Swedish researchers say it’s not how much you weigh, but where you carry the fat that truly affects your risk of the condition.
The team from Lund University found that belly fat has a bigger impact on heart health than overall body size.
This adds to growing evidence that we should drop BMI and focus on WtHR instead, which is found by dividing your waist measurement by your height.
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Ideally, your waist should be less than half your height. Which when calculated should come between 0.4 to 0.49.
So, for example, if you're 5ft 8in (173cm), your waist should be under 34 inches (86cm) to stay in the healthy range.
Belly fat has already been more strongly linked to serious illnesses like other heart diseases, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers than overall body weight.
The new findings were presented at the in Belgrade, Serbia on May 18.
Dr Amra Jujic from Lund University, who presented the study said: “BMI is the most common measure of obesity, but it is influenced by factors such as sex and ethnicity and does not take into account the distribution of body fat.
"Waist-to-height ratio is considered a more robust measure of central adiposity, the harmful deposition of fat around visceral organs.”
The study tracked 1,792 people aged 45 to 73 for over 12 years as part of the Malmö Preventive Project.
Participants had either normal blood sugar, prediabetes, or diabetes. Over the study period, 132 went on to develop heart failure.
The researchers found that people with a higher waist-to-height ratio were significantly more likely to develop heart failure, regardless of their overall weight.
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Those with the highest waist-to-height ratios, around 0.65, were 2.7 times more likely to get the disease than everyone else, regardless of their weight.
How to measure your waist
To get an accurate waist measurement, you should only measure it in the morning, before you’ve had your first meal.
Start by standing up straight, taking a few deep breaths in and out, and then relax.
Find the top of your hip bone and the bottom of your ribcage, then measure around the part of your waist in between.
Make sure the tape is snug but not tight, and keep it level around your body.
Breathe out normally, and check the measurement then. It sound only take a few seconds.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended levels for waist circumference - defined as less than 88cm (35ins) for women and 102cm (40ins) for men.
Source: WHO
