The open access paper released today presents findings from an epidemiological study that explores the relationship between being overweight and the risk of age-related diseases and mortality. The study focuses on the use of waist circumference as an indicator of visceral fat, which is known to contribute to chronic inflammation and accelerate aging pathologies.
Despite evidence suggesting that visceral fat is harmful, the lowest weight tertile often experiences poorer outcomes in epidemiological studies. This is believed to be due to the inclusion of individuals with serious chronic issues and an elevated risk of mortality and disease in the lowest weight tertile. It is challenging to distinguish the reasons for low weight in epidemiological databases, making it difficult to exclude problematic portions of the study population.
The study titled “Association of changes in waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio and weight-adjusted-waist index with multimorbidity among older Chinese adults: results from the Chinese longitudinal healthy longevity survey (CLHLS)” investigates the association between changes in waist measurements and multimorbidity risk among older Chinese adults. The results indicate that increasing waist measurements are linked to a higher risk of multimorbidity, while a decrease in weight-adjusted-waist index is associated with a lower risk.
The research delves into the relationship between changes in waist measurements and multimorbidity, particularly focusing on the role of abdominal obesity in chronic disease development. The study suggests that reducing weight-adjusted-waist index may decrease inflammation and lower the risk of multimorbidity. Furthermore, the persistently low weight-adjusted-waist index group includes individuals prone to malnutrition, which could contribute to a higher risk of multimorbidity.
