Being overweight may not be as risky for your health as we’re so often told. Indeed, you might be no worse off in terms of heart health than skinny people.
Provided your waist is slim, that is.
But it’s bad news for people who aren’t overweight, yet have a larger waist – this can increase their heart disease risk by up to 50 percent.
That’s the surprising suggestion from a new study.
For years, a healthy weight has been determined by your body mass index (also known as your BMI), calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by your height in meters squared.
But increasingly, it’s been recognized that having a round middle can increase your risk of heart disease and other serious conditions, with experts warning that waist size can reveal health risks that BMI alone may miss.
Now a new study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, provides further evidence of the importance of waist size.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore analyzed data from 260,000 people over 20 years, tracking their rates of heart attacks, strokes and heart failure.
People who aren’t overweight but have a larger waist may face up to a 50 percent higher risk of heart disease, a new study suggests
They found that people with an ‘obese’ BMI (30 or more) but who had a relatively small waist didn’t have significantly higher cardiovascular risks than people with a healthy BMI (18.5 to 24.9) and low waist measurements.
The most at-risk group were those with a normal BMI but a large waist.
The problem with a larger waistline is that it indicates that a dangerous type of fat, visceral fat, is starting to accumulate in and around vital organs, explains Naveed Sattar, a professor of cardiometabolic medicine at the University of Glasgow.
This visceral fat triggers several mechanisms in the liver that contribute to an increased risk of heart disease.
Professor Sattar explains: ‘Excess fat in the liver screws up your sugar metabolism and increases your risk of diabetes [a major risk factor for heart disease].’
It does this by interfering with the body’s ability to respond to the hormone insulin, which clears excess sugar from the bloodstream – this leads to insulin resistance and poorly controlled blood sugar levels, which can damage blood vessels over time.
‘When the liver has excess fat, it also releases more triglycerides, a type of fat, into the blood,’ he told the Daily Mail.
‘Researchers now believe higher triglyceride levels also accelerate heart disease over time.’
Belly fat is also linked to higher blood pressure, although it’s not known exactly why.
‘The problems caused by a buildup of visceral fat – such as fatty liver, high cholesterol and high blood pressure – can then start to feed into each other,’ says Dr Mayoni Gooneratne, a former colorectal surgeon and medical director at Personalised Health Clinics.
‘When you develop several of these problems at the same time, we call this metabolic syndrome, which is associated with a much higher risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.’
While older men, for example, are more prone to storing fat around their bellies – partly due to a fall in the hormone testosterone, which alters fat distribution – anyone can develop it, says Professor Sattar.
But if belly fat is so dangerous, what can you do to get rid of it?
The good news is that visceral fat is very responsive to weight-loss programs.
Nader Silver, a preventive cardiology fellow at Johns Hopkins University, who led the new research, says losing just five percent of body weight makes a difference.
The more you lose, the greater the benefit, he says.
This echoes research published in 2020 by Roy Taylor, an emeritus professor of medicine and metabolism at Newcastle University, which found just 10 to 15 percent weight loss could put some people into remission from type 2 diabetes.
High-intensity exercise (such as sprinting, followed by periods of lower intensity such as walking) is one of the most effective ways to shed excess pounds – followed by running, fast swimming, jumping rope or tennis, according to a 2024 review of studies involving almost 5,000 overweight or obese people, published in Obesity Reviews.
‘High-intensity interval training places a substantial energy demand on working muscles, increasing their uptake of glucose from the bloodstream,’ explains Dr Gooneratne.
And it helps to train your muscles to burn fat for energy more easily and efficiently.
But you don’t necessarily have to exhaust yourself to reap rewards.
A combination of moderate-intensity exercise – such as brisk walking – and high-intensity interval training is also effective in reducing visceral fat, reported the International Journal of Obesity in 2021.
The best results came from three 30-to-60-minute sessions each week.
Muscle-strengthening exercises are also useful – aim for two sessions a week – because muscles use glucose for energy, so the more muscle you build, the more glucose you can take up from your bloodstream.
This in turn helps to regulate your blood sugar levels, reducing your cardiovascular risk, says Dr Gooneratne.
Prof Naveed Sattar says the problem with a larger waistline is that it indicates a dangerous type of fat, known as visceral fat, is starting to accumulate in and around vital organs
Diet-wise, the best evidence is for eating a predominantly plant-based Mediterranean-style diet – rich in vegetables, legumes (chickpeas, lentils, beans), whole grains, nuts, seeds and olive oil, along with moderate amounts of oily fish (such as salmon or mackerel; at least two servings a week), meat and dairy.
A 2022 trial published in the journal BMC Medicine found this kind of diet produced a greater reduction in visceral fat than standard healthy-eating guidance.
Participants who followed a ‘Green’ Mediterranean diet (essentially a Mediterranean diet with even more plant foods and less red or processed meat, plus walnuts and green tea every day) lost 14.1 percent of their visceral fat – even though overall body fat dropped just 3.9 percent.
Those following general healthy guidelines lost only 4.2 to 6 percent of their visceral fat.
Researchers think the benefits stem from high levels of fiber and powerful plant compounds that reduce disease-causing inflammation in the body.
Research shows that avoiding or drastically cutting back on other foods is also vital.
These include sugary drinks, refined carbohydrates (such as breakfast cereals, pastries, white bread, cookies and pies), ultra-processed foods, processed meats and excess saturated fat, which is associated with insulin resistance and greater abdominal fat accumulation.
Cutting back on alcohol can also make a big difference.
Melanie Murphy Richter, a dietitian at L-Nutra Health, which runs medical nutrition programs, says there is scientific logic behind the term ‘beer belly.’
‘Alcohol contains seven calories per gram, so it can add a significant amount of energy without providing much fullness.
‘Many alcoholic drinks also contain sugar, and alcohol can lower our inhibitions around food, making larger portions or late-night eating more likely.’
In addition, the body prioritizes processing and expelling alcohol, a toxin, temporarily slowing the burning of fat.
Frequent alcohol consumption can also raise the level of harmful triglycerides, thereby contributing to the buildup of fat in the liver.
The good news is that belly fat responds rapidly to these strategies even before you see changes in your body. As Melanie Murphy Richter explains: ‘In some people visceral fat may begin decreasing before the visible, pinchable fat around the stomach changes dramatically – so metabolic health may be improving before someone sees the exact aesthetic change they were hoping for.’
Exercises to reduce belly fat and tone your waist
Mountain climbers:
Works the heart while challenging the core.
In a high plank position, with hands flat on the floor directly under your shoulders, drive your left knee toward your right elbow, then your right knee toward your left elbow. Alternate as quickly as you can for 30 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds, then repeat three times.
Dumbbell goblet squats:
Your lower-body muscles are some of the biggest in your body, so working them with added resistance helps burn more calories.
Stand holding a heavy dumbbell to your chest. Squat down by pushing your hips back and bending your knees. Push through your heels to rise. Do three sets of 10 reps.
Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts:
This works the muscles running down the backs of your legs and engages your core.
Hold a dumbbell in each hand in front of your thighs. Keep a slight bend in your knees, then push your hips back as you lower the weights toward the floor, keeping your back flat and the weights close to your legs. Drive your hips forward to stand. Do three sets of 10 reps.
Burpees:
A full-body workout that makes your heart rate soar.
Squat down, place your hands on the floor, then jump or step your feet back into a plank. Jump or step your feet back in, then jump up. Repeat for 30 seconds, followed by a 30-second rest. Repeat three times.
