Waistline Measurement Helps to Assess Your Stress Level

As it turns out waistline measurement can be used for more than just purchasing the correct size pants! In the last few years, our understanding of the effects of chronic stress on health has changed, and waist circumference has taken a central role in assessing and predicting the risks for many serious conditions.


People who are not overweight overall but have a large waistline (you know the kind of guy that is lean but has a “beer belly” or a “cute little tummy”) have no idea that their belly fat is not so cute and innocent. In fact, their chances of having a heart attack or high blood pressure, is triple that of people with a normal/healthy waistline measurement.

How to measure the waistline correctly

1. First, you need a standard non-elastic tape measure.

2. Position it around your waist, which is the narrowest part of the abdomen, directly above the belly button. If there is no visible narrow part or the belly looks more like a cushion find the midway between the rib cage and the top of the hip bone beneath it on your side.

3. Stand up straight and wrap the tape measure completely around your waist (over bare skin for best results). Make sure the tape is not squeezing into your skin.

4. Begin at the spot on the tape where the measure reads "0". The number that meets the "0" after you have circled your entire waist is your waistline measurement.

5. If you have a rather large waist ask someone to help you position the tape around to make sure it is leveled and goes over the skin fold and not in the creases between.

6. If there is no one around to help you try this: let your arms hang at your side, make a mark on the skin where the point of your elbow falls and use the mark as a guide to level the tape measure.

7. Do not hold your breath and do not try to contract your abdominal muscles to look slimmer. Just breathe gently and don’t cheat.

I have seen men measuring the waistline below their belly. This might work when shopping for new pants but it is not going to help in assessing your risk for heart attack or type 2 diabetes.

If you have a large waistline, and you are caring some extra pounds overall, measure both your waist and your hip circumference. Hip circumference is measured at the point of the largest extension of the buttocks. To determine your waist-to-hip ratio, divide your waist measurement by your hip measurement. Men are at risk if the result is 0.9 (90%) or over, and women are at risk if the result is 0.8 (80%) or over. This is valid for everyone, even for those who are within a normal BMI.

What is a normal waistline measurement according to the American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines?

Female Waistline Measurement:

Normal/Healthy Waistline: Less than 35 inches (88 cm) at any age

Male Waistline Measurement:

Normal/Healthy: Less than 40 inches (102 cm) at any age

However, there are variations by region/ethnicity for abdominal obesity:

According to American Heart Association/NHLBI abdominal obesity is considered:

1. United States > 102 cm in men; > 88 cm in women

2. Europe/Europids (according to International Diabetes Federation)>94 cm in men; >80 cm in women

3. Asia (according to AHA/NHLBI and IDF) >90 cm in men; >80 cm in women

Data are not available for Sub-Saharan Africans, Eastern Mediterranean and Middle East (Arab) populations, and Ethnic South and Central Americans.

IDF suggests using waist thresholds for Europe/Europids for populations in these regions.

The AHA/NHLBI guidelines indicate that waist circumference thresholds of at least 94 cm in men and at least 80 cm in women are optional in persons who show clinical evidence of insulin resistance.

In Japan, national recommendations for waist circumference thresholds for abdominal obesity are at least 85 cm in men and at least 90 cm in women.

If you do not have a tape measure you can divide your height in inches by two. Your waistline needs to be that number or smaller in inches.

For every inch above the normal waistline measurement limit set by the AHA, the risk for heart attack goes up three times.

The belly fat and stress connection gives us a totally different prospective when it comes to losing the stubborn fat around the waist and might explain why diet and exercise alone do not help and why you have to include some stress relief solutions as a part of your daily routine.

Take the Stress Level Test and get your score free of charge.

Copyright Dr. Nelly Stoyanova

Author's bio: Dr. Nelly Stoyanova is a physician, medical researcher and health behavior expert. She studies the effects of stress on heart disease, type 2 diabetes and sleep. Her website: Belly Fat, Stress and Baby Boomers (http://www.stress-fat-heart-solutions-for-boomers.com) evaluates sources of stress for people over 50 and provides great tips to balance your day-to-day stress and stay healthy.

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