Every extra inch on your waistline increases the risk of heart attack by 10 per cent: Study

Oxford University recently released an intriguing research which might force most of us to reach down and pinch our waists while reading the article. Reportedly, the research states that every extra inch on a person's waistline can increase the risk of heart failure by 10 per cent.

The study, which took 13 years and over 430,000 British subjects to complete was presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Barcelona. Reportedly, the participants had an average age of 56 and 8,669 suffered first-time heart failure events, with many proving fatal as well.

The study effectively meant that a person having a waistline of 41-inch might be 40 per cent more likely to contract heart-related illness when compared to a person having a 37-inch waist.

Moreover, according to the researchers, people with bigger waistlines were more likely to develop heart conditions than those weighing heavier.

Dr Ayodipupo Oguntade, the lead researcher of the study confirmed that 'trunk fat' was a major indicator of a person developing heart conditions.

"The amount of fat people carry around their trunk is more important in tracking body fatness and cardiovascular risk." said Dr Oguntade.

He further added that a person with a bigger waistline was 3.21 times more likely to suffer heart failure compared to a person having a high Body Mass Index. The person in the latter category had 2.65 times the risk of suffering heart failure.

According to scientists, larger waist measurement is a sign that the individual has extra visceral fat. This extra fat gets stored around the belly, rendering the movement of blood inside the blood vessels. Once the movement is impaired, it affects the functioning of the heart.

(With inputs from agencies)

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