Research
Energy balance
Waist circumference is a superior predictor of cardiometabolic risk compared to BMI alone, as it identifies individuals with high intra-abdominal fat even if their BMI is normal.
Measure your waist circumference in addition to your weight. A large waist (≥102 cm for men, ≥88 cm for women) indicates high risk for heart disease and diabetes, even if your BMI is in the 'normal' range. This metric helps identify 'normal weight obesity' where dangerous fat is stored around organs.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Waist circumference predicts body fat similarly, but is a somewhat better guide to cardiometabolic disease risks because it identifies people with relatively low BMI but with increased intra-abdominal fat accumulation.
Why this rating
Based on epidemiological studies cited in the review.
Source
A clinical perspective of obesity, metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease
Thang S. Han et al. · JRSM Cardiovascular Disease · 2016
DOI 10.1177/2048004016633371
narrative_reviewCited 511×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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