Does a big waist and a bloated belly mean a short life? The new three measurements for health: waist, hips, and calf circumference

With a bloated "water bucket waist", be careful that it may hide many chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome. Recently, new research has found that among obese people, the thicker the waist circumference, the smaller the volume of gray matter in their brains, which may increase the risk of dementia in the future. Is it true that "big belly means no brain" as the rumor goes? Some people even say that "a bloated belly means a short life" may be true. Keeping a constant waistline to stay healthy is no longer a slogan, but a life-saving talisman for health!

Abdominal obesity means excessive accumulation of visceral fat and a risk of metabolic syndrome

In Taiwan, 1 in 4 men is overweight or obese; 1 in 5 women is overweight or obese. In addition to affecting aesthetics, obesity may also affect life expectancy. In particular, abdominal obesity means that there is a lot of visceral fat accumulation. Once the waist circumference is thick and the visceral fat is high, it is easy to cause metabolic abnormalities and even the risk of metabolic syndrome, which in turn becomes a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

Survey: About 56% of respondents have been criticized by their family members because of their waistline obesity

Therefore, to take care of your health and stay away from the threat of disease, you must take care of your waistline. This can not only save yourself, but also avoid being looked down upon by your relatives and friends. According to a survey on "Taiwan Family Health Management Cognition and Behavior" conducted by the Millennium Love Health Foundation, if someone in the family has an obese waist circumference, family members like to express it in a teasing or sarcastic way. More than half, or 56%, of the respondents said that they had been criticized by their family members because of their body shape. Once you are deemed to be fat, your family will tease you by asking, "How dare you eat?" and "Why don't you look in the mirror?" In the above taunts, 73% of the respondents pointed out that the "waist" is the fat part that is most vulnerable to verbal attacks.

Chairman Cai Kesong of the Millennium Love Health Foundation pointed out that health can actually be measured with a "ruler". Measuring each other to express concern or reminding each other of standard numbers to give encouragement are more effective than nagging or teasing.

The new three measurements for health: waist, hips, and calf circumference

Dr. Wu Zhixing, director of the Millennium Love Health Foundation and director of the Department of Family Medicine at National Cheng Kung University Hospital, pointed out that waist circumference is not just a matter of body shape, but also the "distance from the three highs". The larger the waist circumference, the more visceral fat is accumulated, and the higher the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. He reminded people to keep in mind the healthy waist circumference standard: no more than 80 cm for women and no more than 90 cm for men. This is the only way to maintain a healthy body shape.

In addition to waist circumference, there are other health indicators that can be measured with a tape. Dr. Wu Zhixing said, "The new three measurements of health": "waist circumference", "hip circumference", and "calf circumference". Hip circumference is a stricter index than waist circumference, because a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.85 or more for women and 0.9 for men indicates that fat is mostly distributed in the abdomen. The visceral fat here will increase the inflammatory response and increase the risk of diabetes, arteriosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. Calf circumference is an indicator that can be used to assess sarcopenia in the elderly. I hope that middle-aged and prime-aged people will encourage themselves to pursue a "small waist and hips" to stay away from metabolic syndrome and the three high chronic diseases.

In order to respond to the National Health Administration's concern for family health and echo the concept of "measuring health with a ruler", the Millennium Love Health Foundation has launched a cute "Family Health Ruler" on this year's "89 Waist Measurement Day". In addition to the existing healthy waist circumference standards for men and women, the back also includes children's growth curves and other values. The public can request two rulers and splice them into 190 cm, which can be used by all family members.

Lai Ya-Yen serves as the health ambassador for "89 Waist Measurement Day", urging everyone to prepare a healthy ruler at home to measure their new measurements

The Millennium Love Health Foundation also invited Lai Ya-Yen, who has always had a fresh, healthy and elegant image, to serve as the health ambassador of the 2019 "89 Waist Measurement Day". Lai Ya-Yen has been in the entertainment industry for over 20 years and has always maintained a good figure. She usually controls her figure by eating a balanced and light diet and doing regular strength training. She also has several pairs of "indicator-type" jeans in her wardrobe to judge whether she is fat or thin. After becoming a health ambassador this year, she heard the doctor's advice and realized that although she was self-disciplined enough, her methods were still not precise enough. In the future, she will have a health ruler at home. In addition to tracking her own waist circumference, she will also help her family measure regularly to turn her concern into concrete action.

The Millennium Love Health Foundation's free hair measurement campaign has started today at all 7-ELEVEN stores in Taiwan. 13 channels including Cosmed, Souma, Books.com, BEING sport, Uni-President Department Store, Starbucks, and Carrefour have responded enthusiastically. At the same time, any purchase of designated products at 7-ELEVEN will also come with a waist measuring tape, allowing people to take a two-pronged approach of measuring their waist and diet to stay away from metabolic syndrome.

In addition, from now on, upload photos of your loved ones, friends, children, etc. to the 89 Waist Measurement Day event website and you will have a chance to receive a customized styling ruler and a 7-ELEVEN $100 gift certificate. Care about yourself and the people you love. For more details, please visit the official website of the Millennium Love Health Foundation.

Millennium Love Health Foundation