Forget BMI Predict Heart Failure by Waist-to-Height Ratio...It's easy to measure

May 21, 2025

Forget BMI Predict Heart Failure by Waist-to-Height Ratio...It's easy to measure
data photo source=Pixabay



A study found that the ratio of waist to height can be an important indicator for predicting heart failure, a heart disease.

Researchers from Lund University in Sweden presented the results of the study at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) meeting in Helsinki, Finland 'Heart Failure 2025'.

The researchers explained that they have confirmed that the Weight-to-Height Ratio (WtHR) can be an important indicator of the risk of heart failure. He also emphasized the need for a more accurate method of measuring obesity than the existing body mass index (BMI), considering that obesity has a great impact on heart failure patients.




The value of WtHR is obtained by dividing the waist circumference (cm) by height (cm).

Dr. Amra Jujik of the University of Lund in Sweden, who published the study, said "BMI is the most commonly used method of measuring obesity, but it is affected by factors such as gender and race and has the disadvantage of not considering body fat distribution."The waist to height ratio can more accurately measure the degree of visceral fat accumulation" he explained.

The study followed 1,792, aged 45 to 73, over a period of 12.6 years.




The results showed that a higher waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) increased the risk of developing heart failure by 34%

It was analyzed that the high group with a WtHR ratio of 0.65 or more had a 2.7 times risk of heart failure.

Co-researcher Dr. John Molvin "Our study showed that the median WtHR was higher than the baseline of increased cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk of 0.5. To stay healthy, the waist circumference must be less than half the height," he stressed.




In other words, the healthy waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) should be between 0.4 and 0.49. For example, if an adult who is 170 cm tall has a waist circumference of 82 cm, the WtHR is about 0.48, which is a healthy number.

The researchers should expand their research to more actively utilize WtHR to identify patients at high risk of heart failure early and provide appropriate treatment", he suggested.



This article was translated by Naver AI translator.