The size of your waist can help you know if you have a high risk of heart disease. Even if you are at a healthy weight, too much fat around your waist can raise your risk of high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Image: Shutterstock.com/ssimone People with apple body shapes have a higher risk of heart disease than people with pear body shapes. The best way to find out if your waistline is increasing your risk of heart disease is to measure it. * Some ethnic-groups or people living with risk factors may have increased risk even at lower waist circumference measurements.
Even if you have a small waist, you can have a higher risk if you are part of a certain ethnic group, if you have a family background of heart disease, or if you have other conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes. My waist circumference is Too much alcohol Drinking too much alcohol is a risk factor for high blood pressure, weight gain and heart disease. Alcohol may also make your medications not work as well. Ask a healthcare professional for more information. Not enough exercise Not getting enough exercise can cause heart disease and diabetes. It can lower good (HDL) cholesterol. Smoking Smoking tobacco is the most common preventable cause of death in Canada.
Smoking causes almost half of all deaths from heart disease among Canadians. Even exposure to second-hand smoke increases your risk. Smoking makes the heart work harder and decreases oxygen in the blood. Damage to your arteries from smoking also leads to a buildup of plaque. If you smoke, quitting smoking is one of the most important things you can do to lower your risk of heart disease. 10 | Heart and Stroke Foundation Increased risk Substantially increased risk Male* More than 94 cm (37 inches) More than 102 cm (40 inches) Female* More than 80 cm (31.5 inches) More than 88 cm (35 inches)