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2d ago

Waist-to-Height Ratio Confirmed as Superior Predictor of Heart Failure Risk

New findings from the Malmö Preventive Project highlight WtHR's precision in identifying heart failure risk, surpassing BMI in predictive accuracy.

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Where the fat is distributed in the body has a larger impact on heart health than overall body weight.
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Waist and height measurements predict heart failure risk better than BMI: Study

Overview

  • Research presented at the ESC Heart Failure 2025 congress confirms waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) as a more accurate predictor of heart failure risk than BMI.
  • A 12.6-year longitudinal study found that each standard deviation increase in WtHR was associated with a 34% higher risk of heart failure.
  • Participants in the highest quartile of WtHR, with a median ratio of 0.65, faced a 2.7-fold increased risk of heart failure compared to lower quartiles.
  • Unlike BMI, WtHR accounts for central adiposity, the harmful visceral fat distribution linked to systemic inflammation and heart failure development.
  • Researchers are now preparing to validate these findings in larger, more diverse cohorts and explore WtHR's applicability to other cardiometabolic disorders.