Why it matters
The size of the belly gives plenty of clues about one's lifestyle, how the heart works, one's diet, and other things. Abdominal fat is a type of visceral fat involving the organs, such …show more content…
People who weight a third more than the ideal for their height have their life spans shortened by three years. Another survey, involving more than 350,000 people over 10 years, revealed that a 5-centimeter increase in waist size leads to a 17% higher risk of death for men and 13% for women. In short, the health risks of obesity are comparable to those of smoking.
Waist size and cancer - Prostate cancer is one of the most common in men, especially among those with larger waists. Men with waists measuring 94 cm or more are 13% more likely to suffer from a more aggressive type of prostate cancer than those with a 84 cm waist. The survey--also carried out by the University of Oxford--involved more than 140,000 men in eight European countries with a follow-up of 14 years. Tracking BMI and waist circumference metrics, researchers estimated that the risk of prostate cancer increases by 18% for every 4 inches of additional waist