Detecting visceral fat as early as possible is extremely essential for your health. You ask why? Nutritionist Pooja Makhija says that this will reveal whether you are at risk of developing high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease. In a video posted on Instagram, she questions, “Think you're healthy?” further revealing how a string may say otherwise. “Most of us track our weight, but the number that predicts our metabolic future far better is the waist-to-height ratio. A simple string cut to your height and folded in half can instantly tell you if you may be storing excess visceral fat — the kind linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease,” reads her caption.
According to the nutritionist, you can detect visceral fat in the body with a simple string test. Here's how it works:
Step one: Cut a string exactly to your height.
Step two: Fold it in half.
Step three: Take this string around your waist at your navel.
She mentions, “If this string can't go comfortably across your waist, you have excess visceral fat.”
Why This Matters For Indians?
The nutritionist elaborates that we can develop central obesity at lower weights, which means even a “normal” BMI can miss early risk. However, “this simple test is a very powerful tool,” according to Pooja. She shares, “We tend to store our fat around our waist or abdomen, even at a normal body weight, therefore increasing our chances of high blood pressure, diabetes and heart diseases.”
“Research clearly shows that a waist-to-height ratio predicts your metabolic risk far better than your BMI, especially in the Asian population. Therefore, your waist should be less than half your height, because the only number that matters is not your weight, but your waist-to-height ratio,” she states.
In the caption, she further provided evidence by citing a report, “Ashwell et al., 2014, analysis of over 300,000 individuals, found waist-to-height ratio to be a better predictor of cardiometabolic disease than BMI or waist circumference alone.”
How To Calculate The Risk?
The nutritionist urges following an equation and notes, “A value of 0.5 or more indicates elevated metabolic risk.”
Waist-to-Height Ratio = Waist (cm) ÷ Height (cm)
Watch the video here:
“Your weight is just one number. Your waist-to-height ratio is the number that counts,” she concludes, highlighting the importance of not to solely rely on weight.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
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