Waist Circumference Underused “Vital Sign” For Determining Obesity, Experts Say

reports that experts say “waist circumference is an underused but useful ‘vital sign’ of an individual’s health” and “losing weight in this area is an important way for people to reduce the risk of encountering health problems related to obesity.” According to a “consensus statement based on existing evidence published in the journal Nature Reviews Endocrinology, Robert Ross of Canada’s Queen’s University Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Research Unit and 16 fellow experts called on healthcare professionals to routinely measure the waists of their patients, as this could help with protecting and managing their health.” As of now, “body mass index (BMI) is commonly used to calculate whether a person has a healthy weight, by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in meters.” https://www.newsweek.com/waist-circumference-just-important-bmi-when-it-comes-understanding-obesity-risks-1485415