[Enlarged waist circumference and cardiovascular risk factors]

Obesity is a recognized risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. As evaluated by body mass index (BMI), obesity is associated with increased morbidity and mortality due to chronic diseases, like type 2 diabetes, coronary artery disease and stroke. It has been shown that not only the quantity of the fat mass but also the fat mass distribution is important. Furthermore, the fat tissue deposition at visceral level, as measured by waist circumference, is a risk factor for cardio-metabolic diseases. The waist circumference is easy to measure and reflect the visceral adipose tissue which is a cardio-metabolic risk factor Abdominal fat accumulation induces a less favorable cardio-metabolic profile, even in normal body weight subjects with waist circumference within the normal range.