Expanding waist and health risks
25 June 2012
Waist size over 32"/80cm for women and 37"/94cm for men is associated with increased risk of health conditions including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, liver disease,  infertility, and cancers including breast, womb and ovarian cancer. 
 
Nuffield health analysed 54 000 patients showing the majority had a waist measure in the high risk category, putting them at greater risk of these conditions.
 
Carrying extra fat around the middle is related to fat accumulating on the organs such as the liver and heart, leading to conditions such as fatty liver disease and effecting proper functioning of crititcal organs.
 
The number of people with waist sizes above this has nearly doubled from 1993 -2010, with nearly half of women now with raised waist circumference. Just over a quarter of adults were classified obese, both men and women, with a greater proportion of men than women classified as overweight. Women were more likely than men to have raised waist circumferences. (Feb 2012 report 'Statistics on obesity, physical activity and diet England 2012 - NHS information centre). 
 
Actions -
  • First, know where you are at. Find out if you are at high risk taking waist and weight measures.
  • Regular monitoring so that you can make changes as you see it go up to bring it back down rather than ignoring it and leaving it longer. An item of clothing with a fixed waist band, or a tape measure is useful to keep check. 
  • Its never too late, start today not tomorrow. Failure no matter how many times, starting today still counts. 
  • Simple diet changes can have big impacts - eg regular meals fore appetite control, with smaller portions, cutting out high calorie fizzy drinks and juices. 
  • Get active EVERY DAY - start small and build up. 
  • Emotional eating - keep this in check 
  • Get help in all areas - exercise partners, gym buddies, personal trainers, dietitian support, weight loss groups, counselling support. 
 
Watch the news clip on Sky News here

 


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