Abdominal obesity and the risk of all-cause, cardiovascular, and cancer mortality: sixteen years of follow-up in US...

Area of Science:

• Epidemiology
• Public Health
• Cardiology

Background:

• Abdominal adiposity is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and other conditions.
• The link between abdominal obesity and premature mortality is less understood and findings are inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between abdominal adiposity and all-cause, cardiovascular disease (CVD), and cancer mortality.
• To determine if these associations persist independently of overall adiposity.

Main Methods:

• Prospective cohort study of 44,636 women (Nurses' Health Study).
• 16-year follow-up period with identification of 3507 deaths.
• Analysis adjusted for body mass index (BMI) and other confounders, examining waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio.

Main Results:

• Higher waist circumference quintiles showed increased relative risks for all-cause, CVD, and cancer mortality.
• Abdominal obesity (high waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio) significantly increased CVD mortality, even in normal-weight women.
• Hip circumference was inversely associated with CVD mortality after adjusting for waist circumference.

Conclusions:

• Anthropometric measures of abdominal adiposity are strongly associated with increased mortality from all causes, CVD, and cancer.
• Elevated waist circumference is a significant predictor of CVD mortality, irrespective of BMI.
• Abdominal fat distribution is a critical factor in assessing mortality risk.