What a Waist

Do you want to know if diabetes, stroke or infertility could strike you? Just measure your waistline
A new national law in Japan requires companies and local governments to measure waistlines of people between the ages 40 and 74 as part of annual checkups. This means more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the whole of Japan. The campaign, says the country’s health ministry, will keep in check the spread of diseases like diabetes and stroke.
Is India looking at its waistline too? After all, people in Indian metros are fighting obesity-related problems. And what could be a clearer indicator of good health at the first-look diagnosis – the ‘waistline’.

Dr Anoop Misra, director and head of department of diabetes and metabolism, Fortis Group of Hospitals, New Delhi, says, “The waist circumference is a dead give-away about a person’s health. It is the best way for any physician to know if there’s a problem.”
And if you thought having a big waist was not so dangerous as long as you thought you felt healthy, check what Dr Misra says: “A wrestler who weighs 100 kg, according to the normal weight index, could be put in the high-risk category. But the truth is his weight is due to high muscular composition. And if you notice his waist it will be the normal size. Waistline is not just related to weight. But having a waistline that is above normal could mean you are putting yourself up at risk for diabetes and heart disease since the collection of abdominal fat is dangerous.” Indians are particularly at risk because of their propensity for abdominal fat. “Fat in most Indian bodies tends to deposit over and inside the abdomen. The abdominal fat stops being just a lining. It functions like an endocrinal organ secreting harmful fatty acids like nonesterified acids which are poisonous.”  

Another waist-related indicator of good or bad health is the waist-hip ratio, says Dr Sneha Hoonjan, dietician at P.D Hinduja Hospital, Mumbai. “Indian men must have a waist circumference of 102 cm and Indian women a waistline of 88 cm. The ideal waist-hip ratio is 0.95 for men and 0.8 for women. Most people now have higher ratios,” she says. The effect of fat deposition around the waist affects women more than men, says Dr Misra. “In young women, abdominal fat deposition can trigger the secretion of male hormones (androgens), it puts them at high risk of poly-cystic ovarian disease and causes facial hair growth and infertility.  Fat deposition also affects the production of insulin and makes the ovaries puffy,” he says.

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Sticking to a healthy diet and exercise seem like the only way out. “The earlier a person loses weight, the better, because it’s difficult to do so as you get older. The only way to combat it is by following a low-calorie, low-carbohydrate and low-fat diet. This does not mean totally cutting down on greasy foods and binging on carbohydrates will help. There should be an intake of good fatty acids like omega 3 fatty acids and monounsaturated fatty acids which are found in olive oil and canola oil. Nuts, almonds and green vegetables should also be part of the diet,” he says. 

Making healthy choices can also help. “If people are eating outside, they can order steamed noodles instead of fried food, and have buttermilk, fruit juice or lime juice instead of aerated drinks,” says Dr. Hoonjan. “The longer the waist line, shorter the life line,” she says.