WASHINGTON — There is more evidence that it’s better to be a pear than an apple.
A new study shows yet another link between your waist size and your risk of serious heart trouble.
Researchers at the Intermountain Medical Center in Salt Lake City and at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore followed 200 diabetics — both type 1 and type 2 — with no symptoms of heart disease.
They found those who carried their extra weight in the middle were far more likely to develop problems with their left ventricle, which pumps oxygen to the body.
Left ventricular dysfunction is a common cause of heart disease, including heart failure.
The research team says waist circumference was a better predictor of ventricle dysfunction than total body weight, or body mass index. And they say their study underscores the notion that reducing your waist can cut your risk of heart trouble.
The study findings were presented this weekend at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session in Chicago.
