Overview
- An analysis of nearly 2,000 African American adults found elevated waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio associated with higher incident heart failure, while BMI was not.
- Higher waist measures identified increased risk even when BMI appeared within a healthy range.
- Over a median 6.9–7 years, 112 participants developed heart failure, and blood markers of inflammation mediated about 25% to 33% of the waist–heart failure association.
- The results were presented March 17 at the AHA EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions in Boston as a preliminary abstract that has not yet undergone peer review.
- Authors and outside experts recommend incorporating simple waist-based screening in routine care, with further validation across populations and analyses by heart-failure subtype still needed.