Overview
- The Cross‑Cohort pooled analysis, which was published on Tuesday, Aug. 11, combined data from about 260,000 people followed for roughly 20 years to compare waist circumference (WC), waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and BMI across nine cardiovascular outcomes.
- Researchers found people with normal or overweight BMI but high WC or WHR faced about 15% to 50% higher risk for most heart outcomes, showing where fat is stored matters for risk.
- The study reported how common mismatches are: among those with normal BMI, 5% had high WC and 18% had high WHR, while roughly 39%–40% of people labeled overweight had high WC or high WHR.
- Authors and JACC leaders urged clinicians to consider adding simple tape‑measure checks to primary prevention visits but stressed the results are observational and do not yet prove that reducing central fat lowers events.
- Key limitations included a single baseline WC/WHR measurement and no data on physical activity, diet or genetic risk, so researchers call for standardized measurement protocols and trials to test whether targeting central adiposity cuts heart disease.