A big belly might be more dangerous than being overweight.
(Mirror Daily, United States) – Central obesity versus general obesity: which is worse? As obesity has been a growing problem in the United States in recent years, more and more weight-loss supplements and specialized diets have emerged to help people get rid of the extra pounds. Although it would seem obvious that the more overweight a person is the higher their mortality risk is, a new study has claimed that people who suffer from central obesity might actually be more at risk than those generally obese.
In other words, people that only have a few extra pounds around their middle may have a higher risk of death than their generally obese counterparts. And although there have been many studies to document the health risks associated with both general obesity and central obesity, this new study specifically addresses the issue of people with an otherwise normal weight but with central obesity.
Data collected by the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from more than 15000 adults living in the United States was studied in order to determine just how high the health risks are for people with normal weight but that show forms of central obesity. The researchers then compared health risks for people with central obesity to risks for people with general obesity.
The results showed massive differences between the risks and were surprising to say the least. While many would expect cases of obese patients to have higher death risks than cases of people with central obesity but otherwise normal weight, the findings prove the contrary. It was calculated that a man with central obesity and a normal weight had a 50 percent higher mortality risk than a man who was overweight or obese but that did not have central obesity.
The differences were just as significant in women. Researchers compared different scenarios and it was found that women with normal body mass indexes or BMIs and central obesity were 48 percent more at risk of death than women who had a normal BMI but no belly fat. The death risks were calculated for a period of 5 to 10 years and scientist’s estimations were made using data concerning the correlation between body fat, fatal heart disease and cases of death spanning over 14 years.
The results show overwhelming evidence that people who deposit more of their body weight around their midsection carry a much greater risk of both disease and early mortality than those who do not.
Image source: www.pixabay.com