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You probably already know that obesity is a health risk. However, weight distribution is an associated health risk that may be just as important.
There has been lots of talk over the last few years about the health risk of obesity. In fact, unless you’ve been living under a rock, then you know how dangerous it is. However, evidence is just emerging about the associated issue of weight distribution. And it has implications whether you’re obese, overweight, or even within the healthy weight range.
Obesity is an obvious health risk factor. And it’s rampant at the moment due to decreased physical activity, increased availability of food, and junk food. In the USA, 42.4% of adults were classed as obese between 2017 and 2018. And this is a huge increase from 30.5% between 1999 and 2000. Severe obesity also increased during this time from 4.7% to 9.2%.
The biggest issue with obesity is that it puts you at higher risk of:
Despite all these issues, obesity may not be the biggest problem. Instead, weight distribution may play a bigger role in health and disease.
A recent study showed that larger thigh circumferences were associated with lower blood pressure. This is significant because high blood pressure is a serious health risk that affects more than 1 billion people worldwide. It puts undue stress on the heart and the arteries, increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke.
High blood pressure is also notoriously hard to identify unless you visit your doctor regularly. You can have very high blood pressure without any symptoms whatsoever. As a result, it often goes undiagnosed for a long time. And it can cause a lot of damage in that time. That why identifying at-risk people early and implementing interventions is so important.
This study on weight distribution suggests a new way to identify high risk people. It also suggests that thigh weight may actually be beneficial to your health compared to excess weight in other areas of the body.
It’s fairly easy to measure your thigh circumference. That makes it a good tool for at-home monitoring. However, the value of this information for blood pressure monitoring is minimal. It’s far easier and more accurate to buy a blood pressure monitor and take readings regularly. This is particularly important if you’re at high risk of heart problems.
However, this information does have implications for your weight loss efforts. You obviously can’t force your body to lose weight from one specific area. But you can monitor where you’re losing weight when on a diet. So, make sure that you take these measurements regularly. And if you’re losing weight on your thighs faster than anywhere else, it might be time to rethink your weight loss strategies.
This new study highlighting the importance of weight distribution in obesity is interesting. And it shows just how important it is to pay attention to your measurements. So, just remember that it isn’t only the numbers on the scale that are significant.
If you’re concerned about your blood pressure or any other aspect of your health, use HomeLab to help you keep track of your condition and any changes you make to your life.
Tags: Health Risk, obesity
