Overweight and Obesity

Being overweight increases the risk of coronary heart disease. It does this directly and indirectly, as what you eat and drink can affect other risk factors such as blood pressure, diabetes and cholesterol levels. Are you a healthy weight?

Body mass index (BMI)

This is a measurement that compares your weight against your height, so giving a general idea of how healthy your weight is. The higher your BMI, the greater your risk of developing heart disease. People with a BMI of 20 to 25 have the lowest risk of heart disease.

If you are overweight

You can reduce your BMI and waist measurement by being more active and eating healthily. These measures will also reduce blood pressure and blood lipids (simple fats in the blood) and so your risk of heart disease. Your risk of developing other diseases like diabetes and cancer will also be reduced.

Waist Measurements

The risk of cardiovascular disease is increased when waist measurements are higher than the following:

90cm for Asian men and 94cm for non-Asian men

80cm for Asian women and 80cm for non-Asian Women