Research
Mixed
Abdominal obesity, defined by waist circumference thresholds (>102 cm in men, >88 cm in women), is significantly more prevalent in women than men (54.5% vs 12.9%) and is strongly associated with increased cardiovascular risk factors including blood pressure, cholesterol, and fasting glucose.
Measure your waist circumference, not just your weight. For men, a waist over 102 cm and for women, over 88 cm indicates abdominal obesity, which is a strong predictor of heart disease and diabetes risk, even if your BMI is normal. This is particularly critical for women, who show much higher rates of abdominal obesity than men.
StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
Abdominal obesity was more common among women than men (54.5% vs. 12.9%) and greater with older age... Abdominal obesity is considered an independent predictor of cardiovascular risk factors, morbidity, and mortality.
Why this rating
Large-scale, nationally representative cross-sectional survey (n=89,404) with standardized measurements.
Source
First Nationwide Survey of Prevalence of Overweight, Underweight, and Abdominal Obesity in Iranian Adults
Mohsen Janghorbani et al. · Obesity · 2007
cross_sectional · n=89404Cited 320×
Read the paper This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →