Research

Energy balance

In obese individuals undergoing medical weight loss, greater relative reductions in waist circumference are associated with significantly greater improvements in metabolic syndrome components (blood pressure, lipids, glycemia) compared to smaller reductions, independent of sex.

If you are undergoing a weight loss program, track your waist circumference, not just your weight. Larger reductions in waist size are linked to better improvements in blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar, regardless of your sex. This suggests that targeting visceral fat through your diet and exercise regimen is crucial for metabolic health.

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In obese people, greater relative decreases in WC with medical weight loss are associated with greater improvements in components of the MetS independent of sex.
Amy E. Rothberg et al. · BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care · 2017

Why this rating

Prospective observational study with a large sample size (n=430) and long follow-up (2 years), though not a randomized controlled trial.

Source

Impact of weight loss on waist circumference and the components of the metabolic syndrome

Amy E. Rothberg et al. · BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care · 2017

DOI 10.1136/bmjdrc-2016-000341

cohort · n=430Cited 93×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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