Among Indian adults aged 45 and older, waist circumference carried independent associations with hypertension beyond body mass index, identifying elevated risk in individuals whose BMI falls within normal ranges. Central adiposity appears to be the more informative measure of cardiometabolic strain in this population, with direct implications for how blood pressure risk is screened and stratified in midlife and beyond.
Key Points
- Waist circumference predicts hypertension independently of body mass index
- Normal-BMI adults with central adiposity carry elevated blood pressure risk
- Combined waist and BMI measurement improves midlife risk stratification
Longevity Analysis
Visceral fat is metabolically active tissue that alters vascular tone, insulin signaling, and inflammatory load in ways total body weight does not capture. A tape measure at the waist decodes a signal that the scale obscures, and acting on that signal early — through the dietary, movement, and sleep inputs that preferentially mobilize abdominal fat — addresses arterial pressure at its source rather than at the point of pharmacological management. For aging populations, the distinction between where fat sits and how much of it exists determines decades of cardiovascular and cognitive trajectory.
Original published by SAGE Research on Aging, by Alok Roy1Department of Geography, 163967Krishnagar Government College, Krishnanagar, West Bengal, India2Centre for the Study of Regional Development, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India.