A new report reveals that being apple-shaped may be worse for you than a high BMI. Beware that beer belly!
A new study published online Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that among adults 18 to 90 across the BMI continuum, having an apple shape increased the risk of death, especially death from cardiovascular disease.
Adults who were pear-shaped were less likely to die than those with similar BMIs who were apple-shaped.
According to the Los Angeles Times, men and women in the study who were considered obese according to the BMI were more likely to die than those who were defined as a normal weight and those as overweight.
However, in every group, waist-to-hip ratio trumped BMI as a predictor of risk of death.
Herein lies the conundrum: some people are apple-shaped but have normal BMIs, leading them to a false sense of security regarding their health. This study suggests it's not just about how much fat you carry, but where that fat is carried.
The BMI measure "is not really telling you the whole story in individual patients," said Mayo Clinic internal medicine specialist Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, the senior author of the study.
"Chances are this person will be very happy about the way he looks, and will feel pretty healthy because he's skinnier than those around him. He'll think, 'I'm OK no matter what I eat, or how little I exercise,'" said Lopez-Jimenez. "Before this paper I would have a hard time convincing that patient he was at risk, because in a way that's what society has been telling him. It's a false sense of security."
SHAPE has a handy workout designed specifically for people who are apple-shaped.
The magazine recommends core-centric sculpting and high-intensity interval (HIIT) cardio exercises, citing a 2011 Duke University study that found aerobic exercise helped subjects shed significantly more visceral (belly) and liver fat than resistance training alone.
