‘Spare tyre’ worse for overall health than being obese, study finds

“Normal-weight central obesity defined by WHR is associated with higher mortality than BMI-defined obesity, particularly in the absence of central fat distribution”, he said. This can lead to fat accumulation in vital organs, especially the liver, he explained.

Men and women who were considered obese according to the BMI were more likely to die during the follow-up period than were those defined as a normal weight and those as overweight.

The Telegraph reports that the study is the first to show mortality risk in people with normal BMI and central obesity.

However, he warns that this does not mean people with central obesity should try to gain more weight in hopes redistributing fat.

But whether excess weight is termed “fat” or a “weight problem” can have a real impact when it comes to going to the doctors.

“However, a recent meta-analysis showed that being overweight according to BMI was actually associated with lower total mortality, challenging the paradigm that BMI is linked to increased mortality. Further, whether measures of fat distribution provide any incremental risk information beyond BMI alone has been a major source of controversy”, he said.

He noted United States health guidelines for tackling obesity does not recommend measuring WHR and assumes that persons with normal BMI are not exposed to any obesity-related cardiovascular risk in view of the limited available data proving otherwise. As Medical Daily reported this May, researchers who used a test of central obesity known as waist to height ratio (WHtR) on a sample of 3,000 adults found that a third of the normal-weight individuals had levels of belly fat that placed them at higher risk of CVD.

The discovery was made by scientists who analysed data on 15,184 American men and women with an average age of 45.

He said: ‘Our findings suggest that persons with normal-weight central obesity may represent an important target population for lifestyle modification and other preventive strategies. As part of this, the way their body fat was distributed across their bodies was looked at, with deaths assessed via records, and it was determined that there is a link between central obesity and early death.

More research is needed to understand the factors that can contribute to the development of normal weight central obesity and the link to health outcomes, the researchers say. At least, that’s the conclusion reached by new research published Tuesday in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

A spokesman from the British Heart Foundation said: “We all know that watching our weight is important, but often it’s forgotten that where you carry the weight makes a difference too”.

“Keeping physically active and eating a healthy, balanced diet will help control your weight and reduce your risk of diabetes and heart and circulatory diseases”.

Mr Allen advised those who are concerned about their weight to make an appointment to see their GP or practice nurse.