Spare Tire And Health Risks

• Spare tire refers to the fat accumulation around the abdominal area. Overweight postmenopausal women who are endomorphs (”apple-shaped”), where fat deposits around the abdomen and internal organs have a greater risk of heart disease, diabetes and breast cancer compared to overweight women who are mesomorphs (”pear-shaped”), where fat deposits are found on the hips and thighs or ectomorphs (”bean-pole shaped”) where fats are evenly distributed.

  Scientists speculate that the type of fat that accumulates around the upper and middle body is metabolized differently from fat located elsewhere and because the fat is nearer to important organs and glands, this contributes to high blood pressure, insulin resistance, increased blood levels of cholesterol, triglycerides and blood sugar - all of which can increase the risk of heart disease and diabetes. Also the glands that regulate hormone balance may be affected resulting in hormonal changes that may eventually be responsible for the increased risk of breast cancer.

  High insulin levels have been associated with increased risk of breast cancer and poorer survival after a breast cancer diagnosis. Waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) is a marker for insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia (excess insulin).

  A WHR reading of greater than 0.8 in women (and 1.0 in men) indicates an “apple” distribution of body fatness. WHR is obtained by dividing your waist measurement by the hip measurement.

  Source : A. Folsom et al “Waist-to-hip ratio and breast cancer mortality” Borugian MJ, et al. American Journal of Epidemiology (Nov 15 2003) 158(10):963-8; “A meta-analysis of published literature on waist-to-hip ratio and risk of breast cancer” Connolly BS et al Nutrition and Cancer (2002) 44(2):127-38; “Associations of general and abdominal obesity with multiple health outcomes in older women” Archives of Internal Medicine (2000) 160: 2117-2128

• A group of British researchers noticed that smoking can influence the placement of fats in the body. They analzed the data collected from over 21,000 men and women, aged 45 to 79 that consisted of smoking habits (past or present), height, weight, waist measurement and hip measurement. From the data, the BMI (Body Mass Index) and the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) was calculated.

  They found that though current smokers had a lower BMI reading than past smokers, their WHR figure was higher than those who were non-smokers and former smokers.

  This placement of the fat in the abodminal and lower peripheral (lower limb) areas may have an adverese effect that puts them at a higher risk for obesity-related diseases, compared with the risk of non-smokers with more body fat.

  BMI is obtained by dividing body-weight in kilograms by the square of the height (m2).

  Source : Dexter Canoy et al “Cigarette Smoking and Fat Distribution in 21,828 British Men and Women: A Population-based Study” (2005) 13:1466-75
  

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