Big Waist Takes Years Off Men’s And Women’s Lives

Men and women with big bellies are more likely to die years earlier than smaller-waist people, and more likely to die from heart disease, respiratory problems, and cancer after accounting for body mass index, smoking, alcohol use and physical activity, U.S. researchers have found. After analyzing 11 studies involving 600,000 people from around the world, the researchers noted that men over 40 with waists of 43 inches or more were 50 percent more likely to die three years earlier than men with waists less than 35 inches. Women with a 37-inch waist or larger had about an 80 percent higher risk of dying than women with a 27-inch or smaller waist. The larger waist in women over 40 takes five years off their lives.