Abdominal fat predicts heart disease risk better than BMI

A large-scale study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology (JACC) indicates that abdominal fat measurements, such as waist circumference (WC) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR), are superior predictors of cardiovascular disease risk compared to Body Mass Index (BMI) alone.

Researchers from the Cross Cohort Collaboration analyzed data from over 260,000 individuals over an average period of 20 years. The findings suggest that BMI fails to account for the distribution of body fat, specifically visceral fat surrounding internal organs, which is strongly linked to heart disease and diabetes.

The study revealed that individuals with a normal BMI but elevated central adiposity faced a 15% to 50% higher risk of cardiovascular events, including heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. Approximately 5% of those with a normal BMI had an elevated waist circumference, while 18% showed a high waist-to-hip ratio. Experts suggest that clinicians should incorporate waist measurements into standard cardiovascular assessments to avoid misclassifying patient risk.