WAIST CIRCUMFERENCE: WHY IT MATTERS

‘If your waist is going up, you’re putting on the worst type of fat’.

We know that for women a waist circumference measuring 80cm or more increases risk of disease – and a growing number of women are falling into this category. Public health expert Professor Timothy Gill says: “In general, if your waist circumference is going up, you’re putting on fat, and you’re putting on the worst type of fat.”

Abdominal fat produces more of the inflammatory chemicals that have profound effects on other parts of the body than fat stored elsewhere, he says, like on our butts or thighs. The good news? Losing as little as five per cent of your overall body weight will help shrink your waistline and your disease risk.