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Story perspectives

Waist Measures Flag Heart Risk BMI Misses in Adults

8/17/2026

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Story summary
  • Cross-Cohort Collaboration researchers reported that waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio reveal heart risk missed by BMI in U.S. adults.
  • The pooled analysis included 259,388 adults from 15 cohorts with a median 20-year follow-up.
  • Among normal-weight participants, 5 % had high waist circumference and 18 % had high waist-to-hip ratio.
  • Those with normal or overweight BMI but high waist measures faced 15 %-50 % higher risk of heart attack and stroke or cardiovascular death.