WASHINGTON — Put another notch in that belt — America’s national waistline is continuing to expand.
The average waist circumference ballooned between 1999 and 2012 from 37.6 inches up to 38.8 inches. At the same time, the prevalance of abdominal obesity grew significantly from 46.4 percent to 54.2 percent
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used 14 years of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to come up with the average.
Their study — published in the Journal of the American Medical Association — cites several potential factors for the increase including sleep deprivation, endocrine disruptions and some medications.
Dr. Timothy Shope, director of bariatric surgery at Medstar Washington Hospital Center, says while he is trying not to be alarmed by the numbers, they are a cause for concern.
“The risk of severe medical problems like diabetes, cholesterol problems, liver problems, goes way up as waist circumference increases.”
Shope says the rise in waist sizes is “a trend that everyone needs to pay attention to,” and says there is no question that it has become a big public health issue.
Both men and women are affected, and Shope says he is seeing abdominal obesity more frequently among younger adults and even adolescents.
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