Even an inch gained on the waistline increases the risk of heart failure by 11 per cent, according to a study of 430,000 people by Oxford University.
This study, which was recently presented at a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology, emphasised the need for reducing the fat around the belly instead of reducing a few kilos to bring down the body mass index (BMI) – a ratio of the height and weight of a person that is generally accepted to be the standard for categorising people as normal, overweight or obese.
So, what does this finding mean for pot-bellied Indians?
“You know, I always give this example – if a Southeast Asian and a Caucasian have the same weight, the Southeast Asian would be at a higher risk of heart disease and metabolic disorders because of the tendency to accumulate fat on the waist. This is the reason, there is a high prevalence of diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases in India,” said Dr RR Kasliwal, chairman of Clinical and Preventive Cardiology Department at Medanta – The Medicity.
“The excess deposition of fat on the waist leads to insulin resistance, inflammation, increased production of triglycerides, thereby increasing chances of heart dysfunction. Now, this is something we already know but what they (Oxford researchers) have done is supported it with a large dataset. BMI and all is fine but people need to actually focus on their waist circumference,” he added.
What’s the role of diet and exercise?
It’s not just about fatty foods. Dr Kasliwal blamed the high carbohydrate intake of Indians for all troubles. “We consume high levels of carbohydrates, so all the excess gets converted to triglycerides. And triglycerides are something that shouldn’t be in our system. Our diet pattern, in fact, not only pre-disposes us to heart conditions but also stroke,” he added.
A recent study funded by the Indian Council of Medical Research suggested cutting the carbohydrate intake from 60-75 per cent of our daily energy consumption to 50-55 per cent.
Apart from cutting carbs, the doctor suggests people exercise a minimum of 150 minutes a week to keep their heart healthy. “There are even studies that show that weekend warriors – those who complete their 150 minutes through the weekend because of a busy schedule during the week – are also equally healthy,” said Dr Kasliwal.
Keep a bathroom tape ready
The research found that those with the biggest waistlines were 3.21 times more likely to suffer heart failure. By comparison, those in the highest quintile group for BMI had a 2.65 times greater heart failure risk than those in the lowest. According to a report in the Mirror, Tam Fry, chairman of the National Obesity Forum, said, “Ideally you should have a piece of tape measuring half your height somewhere handy in the bathroom. If it fits snugly around your bare waist, you’re in a ‘healthy’ weight range. If it doesn’t, seriously consider cutting down on the sugary snacks which probably caused your spare tyre and sensibly reduce your risk of any heart problem.”
Heart failure is a condition where the heart doesn’t pump blood as effectively as it should. This can be caused by coronary artery diseases, high blood pressure, or previous heart attacks.
Source: The Indian Express