Relation Between Central Obesity and Cardiovascular Mortality in People of Normal Weight

Waist-to-hip ratio might be more accurate than body- mass index for determining CV risk. Are risks for cardiovascular-related and total mortality higher among people who have normal body-mass indexes (BMIs) but central obesity? Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers evaluated this association in >15,000 adults (age range, 18–90). Participants were categorized as normal weight (BMI, 18.5–27.4 kg/m2), overweight (BMI, 27.5–32.9 kg/m2), or obese (BMI, ≥33 kg/m2).

Men with waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) ≥0.90 and women with WHR ≥0.85 were considered to be centrally obese. Multivariate analyses demonstrated that normal-weight men and women with central obesity were more likely to die during a mean follow-up of 14 years than were other participants. For example, a man with a normal BMI and central obesity had a higher mortality risk than did an…