Packing pounds just around the belly is riskier than being obese, researchers have found.
According to the findings of the study, people who carry fat around their belly, even if they weigh normal are slim, run a greater mortality risk than those who are overweight but have normal fat distribution.
The results of the study are based on the findings from a large group of Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III).
The participants of the study were compared for their total and cardio-vascular mortality risks after taking into account their body mass index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratios (WHR).
Despite being normal-weight, adults with central obesity faced the worst long-term survival rates as compared to any group, researchers concluded.
Such individuals had mortality risk twice as high as compared to individuals who are obese and overweight as per BMI norms.
The findings of the study appear in the current issue of the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.
