After Lao Li stepped into the 40-year-old "mark", he obviously felt that his figure had become fatter, and his original pants were always smaller at the waist.
Often buying pants can not always buy the right one, but the legs with the right waist are fat, which makes him uncomfortable. When people reach middle age, how can they only have a fat belly?
This phenomenon is actually called centripetal obesity in medicine, which is not a good phenomenon and may have a greater impact on health.
First, the Lancet: People with thick waist circumference are more likely to suffer from dementia
According to the data published in the "Report on Nutrition and Chronic Diseases of Chinese Residents (2020)", the proportion of obese and overweight among mainland adults has exceeded 50%, the proportion of children and adolescents aged 6~17 is close to 20%, and the proportion of children under 6 years old has also reached 10%, and this value is still rising.
Many people get fat first, why is this? This type of obesity, known as "apple-type" obesity, is more common in men as they enter middle age and is directly related to lifestyle. Such as long-term stable life, excess calorie intake, lack of exercise, etc. may be triggered.
"Apple-type" obese people often have the characteristics of slender limbs but large belly. Belly obesity means that visceral fat increases, which can easily cause fatty liver, and without timely intervention, it is easy to continue to decline liver cell function, and then induce other liver function damage.
In addition, "apple-type" obese people will also be accompanied by metabolic abnormalities such as diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and hyperuricemia, and some of them will suffer from cardiovascular disease.
Zhao Jie, a resident physician in the Department of Endocrinology of Yunnan Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, reminded that fat hidden in internal organs is a very dangerous phenomenon. Normal thickness of fat can help protect internal organs and prevent damage to internal organs during falls, but excessive visceral fat can easily cause functional abnormalities in the heart, liver, kidneys, and pancreas, which is a great health threat.
The latest research has found that people with larger waist circumferences also have a higher risk of dementia.
The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific, analyzed data from more than 8,000 Asian populations and found that obesity is a key metabolic risk factor for cognitive decline. When the excess visceral fat increases by 0.27g, cognitive function will age 0.7 years earlier.
The harm of visceral obesity leading to thick waist circumference is not only this, when visceral fat is excessive, it will squeeze into the space of normal tissues, which can easily cause symptoms such as dyspnea, indigestion, chest tightness and tiredness, and may also increase the risk of stroke and coronary heart disease.
In addition, the CDC report also pointed out that there is a direct relationship between abdominal obesity and the occurrence of stomach, liver, pancreatic, ovarian, and colorectal cancer.
Second, the relationship between body shape and life expectancy was discovered
In fact, there have long been clues about the relationship between human body size and lifespan, and many scholars have studied it.
A study published in the International Journal of Obesity pointed out that a thick neck and a double chin indicate centralized, systemic obesity, and this group of people has a higher risk of cardiometabolism and inflammation in the body. Beer belly indicates excessive accumulation of visceral fat, which is closely related to cardiometabolic risk and chronic inflammation.
The harm of a large belly has been mentioned above, and people with thick necks are very likely to have dyslipidemia in the body, and this group of people is at greater risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and cerebral hemorrhage.
So what kind of person lives longer?
Seventy-two studies of 2.5 million people published in the BMJ looked at a variety of measures of fat storage, including waistline, hip circumference, thighs, waist-hip ratio and waist-to-height ratio.
The analysis found that high levels of fat in the middle parts of the body were associated with an increased risk of several types of death. That is to say, people with plump thighs and buttocks have a lower risk of premature death.
Third, those who meet the 5 indicators will live longer
If you want to judge whether your body is healthy, you can judge from the indicators of each part, how to measure it?
1. Waist circumference
Men's waist circumference should be < 90cm, women's waist circumference < 85cm, beyond this range is abdominal obesity. The measurement method is to spread the legs 25~30cm apart, select the thickest part of the waist and measure it in a circle with a soft ruler.
2. Hip circumference
Hip circumference not only reflects hip fat, but also lower limb muscle mass. Studies have found that hip size in people with a thin waist is inversely correlated with the risk of death, that is, the larger the hips, the lower the risk of death. Stand with your legs together, measure with the tape measure around the widest part of your hips.
3. Neck circumference
The neck circumference should be < 38cm for men and <35cm for women, if it exceeds this value, it means that there is too much subcutaneous fat in the neck. Neck circumference is measured along the upper edge and below the Adam's apple.
4. Waist-hip ratio
The waist-hip ratio (waist/hip circumference) reflects the degree of central obesity. The World Health Organization defines central obesity as a waist-hip ratio of more than 0.9 in men and 0.85 in women. If the waist-hip ratio is greater than 1, it means that there is a greater health risk.
That is, "thin waist fat buttocks" means a lower risk of metabolism-related chronic diseases and a longer lifespan.
5. BMI index
BMI is calculated as the square of weight (kg) / height (m), and the value ≥ 24 is overweight and ≥28 is obese.
If you are overweight, you must lose weight in time, and weight loss is nothing more than six words - control your mouth and open your legs. Daily to limit the calorie intake in the diet, while actively exercising, if necessary, you can also go to a special clinic to seek the help of a doctor to lose weight.
There is a relationship between obesity and the occurrence of a variety of diseases, especially abdominal obesity people need to be more vigilant, which should be paid enough attention to and actively lose weight.
Resources:
[1] "Why are men always fat and women fat legs?" Does obesity really make people live shorter? Make it all clear today...". Popular Science China.2020-09-13
[2] "The bigger the waistline, the sooner dementia?" The Lancet: For every 0.27 kg increase in visceral excess fat, cognitive decline is equivalent to "aging" by 0.7 years! 》. Biovalley.2023-05-31
[3] "Fat must also be "fat" in the right place! New study: People with thick legs and big buttocks live longer". Life Times.2023-04-04
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