New York, Nov 11: People who carry fat around their belly, even if they are thin, have a greater mortality risk than those who are overweight or obese but have normal fat distribution, according to a study.
Researchers examined data from a large group of Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) participants to compare the total and cardio-vascular mortality risks with different combinations of body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratios (WHR).
The data showed that a normal-weight person with central obesity had twice the mortality risk of participants who were overweight or obese according to BMI only. The article was published in Annals of Internal Medicine
They found that normal-weight adults with central obesity have the worst long-term survival rate compared with any group, regardless of BMI.