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.