Based on the worldwide research till date, if you have a large belly, you are at greater risk of heart attack and brain stroke issues – WHETHER YOU ARE OVERWEIGHT OR NOT.

Let’s understand in detail:

Research shows that people with normal weight but who stored most of their fat around their waists had more than double the risk of problems such as heart attack, stroke, bypass surgery or death, compared with people who were overweight but not obese, and weren’t carrying excess weight around their waist.  Also, such people are at 52 per cent more risk to have an increased risk of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.

How to measure your waist?
(i) Locate your hip bone. Wrap the tape measure around your body.
(ii) Don’t pull the tape measure too tight. Try not to hold your breath or suck in while measuring your waist.

This simple chart helps to calculate your BMI and categorises your weight as Underweight, healthy, overweight, obese and extremely obese. But waist circumference is a better cardiac risk predictor than BMI as per many researches. Men should have a waist circumference of 40 or less and women should have the same of 35 inches or less.