Waist circumference, as an expression of central adiposity, is associated with insulin resistance, with type 2 diabetes, with dyslipidemia and with coronary artery diseases, with the result that there is an evident relation between waist measure and life expectation. This relation is independent from BMI and it has been shown by many trials, but the direct relationship between waist circumference and death risk has not been examined yet, so the data of a wide nutritional trial, concerning about 105,000 adults ≥ 50 years of age, prevalently white, have been used. Between 1997 and 2006, there have been about 15,000 deaths among the examined subjects. Through analyses adjusted according to various demographic and lifestyle factors (including BMI too), it was seen that the overall mortality risk is strongly associable with waist circumference measure: for example, death risk resulted higher than 102% in males with a circumference > 120 cm, compared to the one with a value < 90 cm. For women, the two values resulted respectively 110 cm and 75 cm: the ones with a greater circumference have presented a mortality risk higher than about 136%. We must note that waist circumference has been associated with greater risks within all BMI categories, being then an independent prognostic factor.
Waist circumference measure, a consequence of a central distribution of body fat, is a very important parameter in the management of a patient, and all possible efforts must be put into action to obtain values not implying an increase in mortality (120 cm for males and 90 cm for females are the highest allowable values).
