ATLANTA—Waist circumference size is a better determinate of how long a person will live than body mass index (BMI), according to a new study from the American Cancer Society (Arch Intern Med. 2010;170(15):1293-1301.doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.201).
The study, lead by Eric J. Jacobs, Ph.D. of the Epidemiology Research Program, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, examined the association between waist circumference and mortality among 48,500 men and 56,343 women, 50 years or older, in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. During the length of the study, a total of 9,315 men and 5,332 women died between 1997 and the end of follow-up in 2006.
After adjustment for BMI and other risk factors, both men and women with very large waists were twice as likely to die and those with smaller waists. A waist size of 47 inches or larger for men and 42 inches or larger for women doubled the risk of dying during the study period, compared to those with smaller waists (35.4 inches for men and 29.5 inches for women)
Waist circumference was also positively associated with mortality within all categories of BMI, which shows those who are considered normal weights may still be at a higher risk of death if their waist size is too large. Among normal-weight women, the risk of dying increased about 25 percent for each additional four inches of waist size.
For the study, waist size was measured by taking a tape measure and running it around the waist just above the navel.
Studies have shown a large waist circumference is linked to heart problems, but this study also demonstrates those with bigger middles are at an increased rate of dying from all causes, including cancer, respiratory failure and other ailments.