Browse evidence-based analysis of health-related claims and assertions
In men with belly fat, deep abdominal fat is linked to certain blood chemicals like PC 32:0, but under-skin fat isn't.
Correlational
In women with belly fat, waist size and total body fat are linked to both deep belly fat and under-skin fat.
For men with belly fat, certain fats and a specific phospholipid are linked to deep abdominal fat.
For women with belly fat, certain blood chemicals like insulin and specific fats are linked to the amount of fat stored deep in the abdomen.
The way blood chemicals relate to fat storage varies between men and women with excess belly fat.
In people with extra belly fat, certain blood chemicals are linked to how fat is stored around the waist versus hips, in the belly, and under the skin.
Using all three body measurements together doesn't help spot kids at risk better than using just one of them alone.
Descriptive
Overweight kids 8-17 are 2.6-3.5 times more likely to have heart/metabolic risks, and obese kids are about 14 times more likely, compared to normal-weight peers.
In kids 8-17, these body measurements are much better at predicting heart/metabolic risks in overweight or obese children than in those with normal weight, with stronger links in the higher weight groups.
For kids 8-17, these body measurements are better at correctly identifying those who don't have heart/metabolic risks (high specificity) than those who do (low sensitivity), leading to many missed cases.
For kids and teens aged 8 to 17, measuring body mass index, waist size, or waist-to-height ratio all show similar ability to spot those at risk for heart and metabolic problems, with accuracy scores between 0.70 and 0.74.
BMI is the best body measurement for predicting high blood pressure in older Chinese men and women compared to other measurements.
Nearly half of older Chinese people in this study had multiple health risks like high blood pressure or diabetes, with slightly more women affected than men.
For older Chinese women, waist-to-height ratio is the best body measurement for predicting high uric acid levels.
For older Chinese men, waist size is the best measure for predicting high triglycerides, but for women, BMI works better.
BMI is the best measure for predicting fatty liver disease in older Chinese men and women compared to other body measurements.
Measuring waist-to-hip ratio or body fat index is less useful for predicting health risks in older Chinese people than BMI, waist size, or waist-to-height ratio.
For older Chinese men, a waist size of 83.5 cm is the best threshold to spot multiple health risks, while for women, it's 77.5 cm.
For older Chinese men, a BMI of 24.12 is the best threshold to identify those with multiple health risks, while for women, it's 23.53.
For older Chinese women, body mass index and waist size are equally good at predicting multiple health risks, but waist-to-height ratio is slightly less accurate.
For older Chinese men, measuring body mass index, waist size, or waist-to-height ratio all work about equally well to predict if someone has three or more health risks like high blood pressure or diabetes.
In men with spinal cord injuries, waist size strongly correlates with total body fat and belly fat, indicating it's a good measure of overall fatness.
In men with spinal cord injuries, larger waist sizes are linked to higher heart disease risk scores, older age, higher cholesterol, higher blood pressure, and smoking.
Using a waist size of 86.5 cm instead of general cutoffs identifies about 1.5 times more men with spinal cord injuries as having metabolic syndrome across different diagnostic criteria.
Quantitative