People with larger waist sizes or higher body mass index have greater odds of having high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and metabolic syndrome even after accounting for the other measure and...

People with bigger waistlines are much more likely to have multiple health problems like high blood sugar, bad cholesterol, and high blood pressure.

Increased waist circumference is associated with a higher risk of metabolic disease and mortality, independent of total body weight.

People with larger waist sizes tend to have higher blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood sugar levels even when their body mass index is the same, and the same is true for people with higher body mass index when their waist size is considered.

When waist size is considered, body mass index does not relate to the odds of having diabetes.

Measuring your waist compared to your height isn’t any better than just using your BMI or waist size to guess your heart risk—all three are about equally useful in this group.