Extra Inches May Be More Important Than Extra Pounds When It Comes to Heart Failure Risk
Judging by the exploding popularity of athleisure clothes, many of us have decided to deal with the extra pandemic pounds around the midsection with the miracle of elastic. Unfortunately, those extra inches taxing your waistband may also be hurting your heart. A new study by Oxford University researchers has found that every extra inch of belly fat increases the relative risk of heart failure by 11 percent, making waist circumference a greater threat to heart health than overall weight. The research was presented at the 2022 European Society of Cardiology Congress, held August 26–29 in Barcelona, Spain.The fact that belly fat or weight around the middle was found to be associated with a greater risk of heart failure isn’t too surprising, but it's a risk factor that more people should…