Carrying extra fat around your belly, even if you are not overweight, can quietly take away your strength and shorten your life without warning, scientists warns.
A recent study found that people with thicker waists compared to their height or hips are more likely to struggle with movement as they age, and face a higher risk of premature death.
Researchers said it is not how much you weigh, it’s about where you carry it. And belly fat is a major red flag for your body.
A team of Italian scientists tested 10,690 adults over six years using a simple sit–and–stand test performed five times from a chair.
Dr Elena Levati, the lead researcher and surgeon at Agostino Gemelli University Hospital Foundation in Italy, wrote: ‘This can help identify people at risk before more serious problems show up.’
The study found that people were 28 percent more likely to have trouble moving if their waist was wide compared to their hips, and 32 percent more likely if their waist was too large for their height, regardless of their weight or age.
According to a report of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 40.3 percent of adults in the US classify as obese, which is more than 100 million people.
The CDC says that the belly fat, especially the kind that builds up around organs, raises the risk of heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and early death.
Researchers said that it is not about how much weight you carry, it’s about where you carry it, and belly fat is a major red flag for your longevity
The study published in Aging focused on two numbers, the waist to hip ration (WHR) and the waist to height ratio (WHtR).
Experts note that WHR and WHtR have been used in clinical trials for years to identify risks for heart disease and diabetes.
The recent study, however, explored WHtR’s link to age-related muscle decline, testing how quickly patient’s muscle function deteriorates with aging.
Researchers collected participants’ waist and hip measurements, had them complete questionnaires about their diet and exercise, and took blood samples to check cholesterol and glucose levels.
They discovered that about 71 percent of men and 53 percent of women had risky waist-to-height ratios. For waist-to-hip ratios, 61 percent of men and 39 percent of women had unhealthy scores.
During the test, participants were timed as they stood up and sat down from a chair five times. On average, women took 7.9 seconds to complete it, while men took 7.6 seconds, both within the normal range for their age groups.
However, the study found that people with larger WHR or WHtR ratios consistently performed worse on this test. Even after adjusting for weight, age, and other factors, these participants were more likely to show signs of declining physical ability.
Although a duration longer than 10.8 seconds is typically regarded as a warning sign for frailty or disability, the researchers found that slower performance in individuals with higher belly fat ratios indicates that their muscular function may be compromised, even if they have not yet crossed that danger threshold.
According to the CDC, 40.3 percent of all adults in the US classify as obese, representing more than 100 million people
Another study published by National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that older adults, with abdominal obesity and low handgrip strength, face twice the risk of death from any cause.
This combination highlights accelerated aging and increased vulnerability to weakness, disability, and premature death.
Researchers said the root cause of this issue might be the visceral fat, a type of body fat stored deep within the abdominal area, surrounding vital organs like the liver, intestines, and stomach.
Since visceral fat wraps around the organs, it has been linked to inflammation, poor muscle quality, and sarcopenia, a condition where muscle strength declines with age.
Nearly 50 percent of American adults have unhealthy waist sizes linked to excess abdominal fat, based on National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data.
This kind of fat buildup can quietly affect your balance, endurance, and even how your heart and lungs work during exercise, according to the experts.
They added that unlike body weight or body to mass index (BMI), which sometimes can be misleading, these waist ratios give a clear picture as someone with normal BMI still can carry dangerous belly fat.
The study also found that waist–to–height ratio was a better predictor than waist–to–hip ratio. It was more accurate for both men and women, and worked better regardless of age.
In fact, just measuring your waist and comparing it to your height may be the simplest way to know if your future mobility is at risk.
The waist–to–height test has another advantage, it is quick, cheap, and does not require a lab or doctor’s visit.
While the study focused on physical performance, the implications go beyond that. Poor mobility has been tied to higher death rates, hospitalizations, and reduced quality of life.
A study published in NIH in 2023 found that older adults with high waist circumference were significantly more likely to develop a disability within five years, even when their overall weight stayed stable.
