HHS HealthBeat (August 23, 2011)

Death by belt size

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A study indicates that kidney disease patients with larger waists also have a higher risk of death. Researchers saw it in four years of data on about 5,800 kidney disease patients. At Loyola University Health System in Maywood, Illinois, Holly Kramer compared people with bigger belt sizes with thinner people:

``We noted an approximate twofold increase in mortality risk once waist circumference exceeded 38.5 inches in females or greater than 44 inches in men.’’  (9 seconds)

Dr. Kramer notes that lots of belly fat has already been found to be bad for people, raising the risks of conditions such as high blood pressure. And high blood pressure also can cause kidney failure.

The study in the American Journal of Kidney Disease was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: August 29, 2011