"Skinny fat" people have higher mortality risk than obese people: study

A study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that those who have spare fat around the belly despite being "normal" weight have an increased mortality risk than adults who have higher body mass index (BMI) which is 25 and above.

The long-term study had the researchers look at the waist-to-hip ratio of more than 15,000 adults. They found normal weight men with "central obesity" or fat around the middle were twice more likely to die than men who are overweight or obese. Meanwhile, women with belly fat have a 32 percent increased mortality risk than overweight or obese women, according to USA Today.

"Waist size matters, particularly in people who are a normal weight," said Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiologist from Mayo Clinic, via Reuters. "The lack of recognition of this leads people with abnormal distribution of fat to have a false sense of safety or reassurance that they don't need to exercise or they can eat whatever they want because they are "skinny" when in reality, if a person has a normal BMI and an abnormal waist size the risk is worse than if they have a high BMI."

In the course of the study period of 14 years, there were 3,222 deaths with 1,404 caused by cardiovascular disease. The outlet adds that a man with normal BMI but had fat in the middle had a 78 percent increased cardiovascular disease death than a man with no central obesity. Meanwhile, women with fat in the middle but have normal BMI have more than double the risk of dying from heart disease.

The Telegraph reports that the study is the first to show mortality risk in people with normal BMI and central obesity.

"Obesity defined by BMI or measures of central obesity, such as waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) and waist circumference, is associated with increased total and cardiovascular mortality," Dr. Lopez-Jimenez said.

The study challenged the assumptions that BMI is associated with higher mortality risk.

"Normal-weight central obesity defined by WHR is associated with higher mortality than BMI-defined obesity, particularly in the absence of central fat distribution," he said.

"Our findings suggest that persons with normal-weight central obesity may represent an important target population for lifestyle modification and other preventive strategies."

Central obesity may be linked to inherited genes and the environment but it is unclear what causes them. According to Discovery, central obesity can usually be reduced by exercise and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.