Why Your Waist Size Affects Heart Health

Do you know the size of your waistline?

Numbers are significant for all aspects of your life; each “measure,” large or small, communicates something to me – the practitioner. The dimensions of your body (whether your neck, arm, leg, or waist) impact the internal function of all organs and can, in turn, have either a negative or positive effect on your body.

The breadth of your waist has a severe impact on your health. A male should not have a waist circumference greater than 40 inches, and a female should not have one greater than 35 inches. Several important factors are affected by changes in weight. I want you to grasp the fact that one inch “off” of your waist dimension (or pants size) is equivalent to 10 pounds of body fat. In our office, we can assess the percent and amount of fat our patients’ bodies have. I know from observation that the instrument is relatively precise and we notice the fat percentage decreases as the added weight “melts” away.

Have you ever considered the number of blood vessels just one pound of “fat” requires surviving and not being “toxic?” Every pound you add to your system requires your body to generate 200 miles of additional blood vessels. The real issue with the waistline is the amount of distress placed on the heart from having to push or propel the blood through all those extra miles.

It has been estimated that 60 to 70% of the population in the USA is 20 pounds overweight. I want you to “run” the numbers – 20×200=4000 miles of additional blood vessels – about the equivalent of traveling from the tip of Maine over and down to the lower portion of San Diego, CA. If you sit back and “chew” on it, that is a lot of miles and stress placed on the heart and supporting structures.

Another subject matter that is significant: the amount of estrogen created by the additional fat in the abdomen, commonly called visceral or abdominal fat. The fat cells of the stomach area in both men and women produce estrogen (the abdominal fat is a storage center for toxins). Estrogen can have two adverse effects: creating cell proliferation (cancer) and burdening the liver, which is the critical player in processing estrogen. I have a question for the gentlemen: are you waking up several times a night because your prostate is squeezing the urethra (the small tube from your urinary bladder traveling through your penis) that transports urine? Men with a large belly/tummy tend to have liver stress and elevated estrogen levels that create a demand on the prostate.

As you may be aware, your waistline also impacts the amount of soft/hard tissue damage caused to your joints. You could be experiencing hip, knee, and ankle discomfort due to the extra pounds you are supporting. Chronic low back pain can be caused by the additional stress placed on the small joints that support and attach the ligaments and muscles.

Your ultimate goal is to have a waistline within the established physiologic parameters for you to enjoy and experience optimal health without medication and the negative impact of the weight burden on your heart, organs, and joints. I would encourage you to take a moment and measure your waist; it is a very significant “number” you want to “Get to Know”!

Drugless Takeaways

– A male should not have a waist circumference greater than 40 inches, and a female should not have one greater than 35 inches.

– You could be experiencing hip, knee, and ankle discomfort due to the extra pounds you are supporting.

– Men with a large belly/tummy tend to have liver stress and elevated estrogen levels that create a demand on the prostate.