Editor's Choice Main Category: Obesity / Weight Loss / Fitness Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology Article Date: 27 Jun 2012 - 0:00 PDT

Current ratings for: Larger Waist Sizes In Women Related To Increased Risk Of Infertility And Cancer

The data was compiled from nearly 55,000 women taking the Nuffield 'Health MOT', a series of tests that takes about an hour and assesses overall fitness and health. Parameters included body mass index (BMI), resting heart rate, cholesterol, aerobic fitness, blood pressure, and sugar levels. Patients also had an opportunity to discuss health issues such as hydration, alcohol consumption, sleep quality and any existing injuries. MOT is the UK abbreviation for the annual safety checks required to keep a vehicle on the road, so the name is a play on that. Patients are given a score from 6-100. Presumably 0 would mean a person was already deceased.

Those chosen for the analysis were the ones who said they aimed to improve their health. 57% had waist lines considered to be in the highest category of risk for future illness, including infertility, breast, womb and ovarian cancer, heart disease and type 2 diabetes. The average waistline was almost 5cm larger than the healthy size recommended of 80cm. The women contrasted with the men whose sizes mainly fell within the healthy band.

Fat stored around waistline was seen to cause a variety of complications for women, and was specifically associated with disturbed ovarian function, irregular ovulation cycles and anovulation, all of which hinder fertility, this is seen in other data where 50-60% of women with polycystic ovarian syndrome were found to be abdominally obese. Furthermore, the chances of heart disease, liver disease and type 2 diabetes are all increased by being overweight.

Adding to the fertility concerns was the younger age of women in the group, with 50% being between 26 and 46. Britain seems to be following the United States, with expanding waistlines and warnings of a major future health issue on the brew. The pattern of public awareness is following that of tobacco in the 70s and 80s, but in the meantime, healthcare services are bracing for a tidal wave of obesity related chronic illness that is set to put a major strain on healthcare providers. The situation is highlighted by a recent incidence of a teenager in Wales, UK, that had to be cut out from her house, with the bedroom wall demolished, as she'd become so fat, weighting in at over 400kg, nearly a ton, that she couldn't exit her parents home normally, and this occurred after she'd already received significant support to lose weight, including an extended trip to a weight loss facility in the US.

The weight problem in the UK doesn't stop there. More than of all women in the MOT tests had body mass indexes higher than the healthy range of 18-25, and nearly one fifth were considered moderately or morbidly obese. Waist-to-hip ratios have blown out into more of an apple shape at 0.83, where the classic pear shape is considered a more natural and lower health risk.

Dr Davina Deniszczyc, Professional Head of Physicians and Diagnostics at Nuffield Health, shared her thoughts on the matter saying:

Nuffield Health's approach is to support people to achieve their health and fitness goals, whether that's addressing their waist measurement, any particular health concerns or more general lifestyle issues. The Health MOT is a key element of this. Being part of the Health MOT program is proven to help you lose weight, move your BMI into the healthy weight category, and get your blood pressure to a healthy level."

Other health issues include:

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Larger Waist Sizes In Women Related To Increased Risk Of Infertility And Cancer