New Delhi, Nov 4 (IANS): While obesity has long been recognised as a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests that the waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) may be a more accurate indicator of heart disease risk than the traditional body mass index (BMI).
Published in The Lancet Regional Health – Americas, the research highlights that waist-to-height ratio could transform how doctors and individuals evaluate cardiovascular risk — particularly among people who don’t fall into the “obese” category based on BMI.
“Higher BMI, waist circumference, and waist-to-height ratio were all linked to an increased likelihood of developing cardiovascular disease,” said Thiago Bosco Mendes, the study’s lead author from the University of Pittsburgh, US. “However, after adjusting for classic risk factors like age, sex, smoking, exercise, diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol, only waist-to-height ratio remained a significant predictor.”
The researchers tracked 2,721 adults without pre-existing cardiovascular disease for over five years. They found that waist-to-height ratio was particularly effective at identifying risk among individuals with a BMI below 30 — those who are not technically classified as obese but still at risk.
Unlike BMI, which doesn’t distinguish between muscle and fat or indicate where fat is stored, waist-to-height ratio directly reflects central obesity, which is strongly associated with heart disease.
The study noted that individuals with a WHtR above 0.5, even if their BMI is under 30, may face a higher risk of coronary artery calcification, a key marker of cardiovascular disease.
“Using waist-to-height ratio as a screening tool could help identify at-risk individuals earlier and allow timely interventions,” said Marcio Bittencourt, senior author and Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh.
“It’s a simple yet powerful measure — one that can reveal hidden heart disease risk even when a patient’s weight, cholesterol, and blood pressure appear normal,” Bittencourt added.
