Excess belly fat is associated with a higher risk of
early death from any cause, a new study finds.
The study published by The BMJ says in women, each 10-centimeter increase in
belly fat raised the risk of death from any cause by 8%. For men, each
10-centimeter increase in girth raised the risk of
death by 12%.
However, the study shows larger hips and thighs are associated with a lower
risk of early death.
According to prior studies, it may be due to a protective effect that fat on
those areas provide toward higher cholesterol and blood sugar levels.
The results are from an analysis of 72
studies involving more than 2.5 million participants who were studied from
three to 24 years.
All of the studies explored various measures of weight around the middle of
the body, long thought to be a significant risk factor for metabolic
resistance, which is a precursor to diabetes, heart disease and more.