Excess Weight and Heart Disease: Understanding Your Risk
When it comes to heart health, many people focus on cholesterol or blood pressure — and while those are important, your weight and body shape also play a big role. Having excess weight doesn’t just affect how you look or feel. It impacts how your body functions and how your heart copes with the extra load.
Being overweight increases your risk for serious conditions like high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. But it’s not just about how much weight you carry — where you carry it matters too. In particular, fat stored around your abdomen can release chemicals that trigger inflammation. Over time, this inflammation can damage your blood vessels and heart.
That’s why your waistline can say a lot about your heart health. If you’re carrying most of your weight around your stomach, it might be time to take a closer look at your lifestyle habits. Making simple, consistent changes to your diet, physical activity, and stress management can lead to noticeable improvements over time.
Measuring your waist can give you valuable insight, even more so than stepping on the scale. While everyone’s body is different, staying mindful of your waist size, eating a balanced diet, and staying active are all steps in the right direction.
Taking care of your heart doesn’t mean drastic diets or intense workouts. It means choosing nourishing foods, moving your body more, and understanding your personal health risks.
If you’re unsure about how your weight may be affecting your heart, do a heart screening or speak with a cardiologist who can help guide you. Remember, even small steps toward a healthier lifestyle can lead to big improvements in your long-term heart health.
Understanding Body Mass Index (BMI)
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a widely used tool that considers both height and weight to estimate body fat percentage. The BMI categories are:
✔ Underweight: Below 18.5
✔ Normal/Healthy: 18.5 to 24.9
✔ Overweight: 25 to 29.9
✔ Obese: 30 and above
BMI calculators make it easy to determine your score, and for most people, BMI provides a useful indication of risk. However, it’s not always a perfect measure:
- BMI may overestimate risk for athletes with high muscle mass.
- BMI may underestimate risk in older adults who have lost muscle.
- It doesn’t account for fat distribution, which is key in assessing heart health.
For a better understanding of your heart disease risk, it’s important to go beyond BMI and look at where fat is stored in the body.
Why Waist Size Matters
Fat isn’t just a passive substance sitting in the body—it’s metabolically active, releasing hormones and chemicals that contribute to inflammation. Chronic inflammation is linked to heart disease, diabetes, and other serious conditions.
Abdominal fat, also known as visceral fat, is particularly harmful because it surrounds major organs, including the heart. People with an apple-shaped body (carrying weight around the waist) have a higher risk of heart disease compared to those with a pear-shaped body (carrying weight around the hips and thighs).
Measuring Your Waist: A Better Indicator of Risk
Several measurements can help determine whether excess fat around your waist is putting your heart at risk:
✔ Waist Circumference:
- Measure your waistline just above the hipbones.
- Higher risk:
- Women: More than 88 cm (35 inches)
- Men: More than 102 cm (40 inches)
- For South Asians, Chinese, and Japanese populations, the risk threshold is lower:
- Women: More than 80 cm (31 inches)
- Men: More than 90 cm (35 inches)
✔ Waist-to-Hip Ratio (WHR):
- Measure the widest part of your hips.
- Divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement.
- Healthy range:
- Women: Less than 0.8
- Men: Less than 0.9
✔ Waist-to-Height Ratio (WHtR):
- Your waist measurement should be less than half your height.
- Example: If your height is 165 cm (1.65 m), your waist should be below 82.5 cm.
Studies suggest that waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio may be more accurate predictors of heart attack risk than BMI alone.
Note: Other factors such as individual risk factors, pregnancy, medical history, and family history can affect your risk, regardless of your waist circumference.
What These Numbers Mean for Your Heart
While calculating BMI, waist size, and ratios can provide a clearer picture of heart disease risk, even simple measurements like waist circumference can be a strong indicator of cardiovascular health.
Regardless of which method you use, the key takeaway is: Excess weight—especially around the abdomen—can significantly increase the risk of heart disease.
Small Changes, Big Impact
If your measurements suggest you’re at risk, don’t be discouraged. Even small amounts of weight loss can significantly reduce heart disease risk.
✔ Focus on a heart-healthy diet rich in whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats.
✔ Engage in regular physical activity—aim for 30 minutes most days of the week.
✔ Manage stress and prioritise quality sleep.
By understanding your risk factors and making gradual lifestyle changes, you can take control of your heart health and lower your chances of getting cardiovascular disease.
