On Aug. 9, 2010 I got an article off the Internet. It was entitled "Belly Bulge can be Deadly for Older Adults," by Carla K. Johnson, AP medical writer. She was writing about a new study appearing in that Monday's archives of Internal Medicine.

It was described as "One of the largest studies to examine the dangers of abdominal fat..." and "...the first to analyze waist size and deaths for people in three BMI (Body Mass Index) categories: Normal, overweight and obese." In all three groups, waist size was linked to higher risk. "About 2 percent of people in the study had normal BMI numbers but larger than recommended waists."

The study suggests that men and women with the biggest waist lines have twice the risk of dying over a decade as those with the smallest tummies. Surprising, bigger waists carry a greater risk of death even for people whose weight is "normal" by the Body Mass Index or BMI, a standard measure based on weight and height. "Even if you haven't had a noticeable weight gain, if you notice your waist size increasing that's an important sign," said lead author Eric Jacobs of The American Cancer Society, which funded the study.

The study used data from more than 100,000 people who were followed from 1997-2006.

Nearly 15,000 people died during that time. Bulging bellies are a problem for most Americans older than 50. It is estimated that more than half of older men and more than 70 percent of older women have bigger waistlines than recommended. And it's a growing problem. Average waistlines have expanded by about an inch per decade since the 1960s.

To check your girth, wrap a measuring tape around your abdomen at the navel. Men should have and abdominal circumference of no more than 40 inches (37-39 according to a think tank meeting of the American Heart, Lung and Blood Institute in 2007). The researchers crunched numbers on waist circumference, height and weight to draw conclusions about who was more likely to die. Four extra inches around the waist increased the risk of dying from between 15-25 percent. Oddly the strongest link, 25 percent, was in women with a normal BMI.

It's no wonder, as Tommy Thompsons, former secretary of Health and Human Services (who first gave the call for action on obesity) stated in a Fox News interview about a month ago, that the BMI was old technology. First developed in the 1830s, it didn't account for lean muscle, or distinguish between men, women and children. Body composition is the scientifically validated best technology today. He specifically noted the stay healthy BC-1 Bioimpedence body composition analyzer that we are proud to be using in our clinic. The University of Missouri School of Medicine stated, "When using BMI it fails to identify half of the people who have excess body fat."

In my next article "Belly Bulge Can Be Deadly for Older Adults - Part B," I will share the rest of the article with you. In the meantime you can have a bioimpedence body composition test done to determine exactly how much fat you have and the specific risk factor known to be associated with that amount of fat just by calling our office and scheduling one.

Hear how the Ideal Protein diet treatment is the best answer out there for this condition. To attend a free class or to schedule a free consultation, please call (208) 772-6015. Come on Coeur d'Alene, Sandpoint and Bonner County, let's shape up and get healthy together!