A recent study has found that the collective American waistline has expanded, despite stabilized rates of people who are obese or overweight. The findings translate to Americans having excess abdominal fat, which heightens the risk of stroke, heart disease, and diabetes, along with other health problems.
The study, published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), discovered that the average American waistline has grown by more than an inch from 1999-2000 to 2011-2012.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention medical epidemiologist Dr. Earl Ford, lead author of the study, and colleagues used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). The poll included over 32,816 adult women (not pregnant) and men. The analysis found an increase in mean waist circumference from 37.6 inches in 1999-2000 to 38.8 inches in 2011-2012. Groups who showed significant increase were men, women. non-Hispanic blacks, non-Hispanic whites, and Mexican-Americans.
Meanwhile, abdominal obesity increased from 46.4 percent in 1999-2000 to 54.2 percent in 2011-2012. Abdominal obesity is the waist circumference greater than 40.2 inches in men, and 34.6 inches in women.
The results have left the authors of the study quite puzzled for explanation; recent analyses have found that Americans are not getting fatter, yet their waistlines are expanding. Body mass index or BMI is the measure used for overall body fat, while waist circumference measures fat distribution. Extra weight in the mid-section is mainly a result of hormonal imbalances, stress, poor sleep, environmental pollutants, or certain types of medication.
Although generally, the amount of belly fat increases as waist circumference expands and adds inches, certain groups like African-Americans tend to have less abdominal fat for the same waist size.
Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, believes that people should not only monitor their weight, but also their waistline. Ford adds that abdominal obesity mirrors the overall state of American health.