A new study at the German Institution of Human Nutrition shows that overweight people tend to have a higher risk of dying than someone of normal weight. In addition, if one has an apple-shaped body, the risks are even higher. Basically, people who accumulate weight around their waist are more susceptible to death risks than those who accumulate fat around their thighs and hips.

The study’s lead author, Dr. Tobias Pischon, told the media: “We found that a large waist circumference is related to a higher risk of death even for individuals who have the same BMI [body mass index].” This is not the first study about the effects of fat over people. Another study showed that high fat accumulation results in chronic diseases.

The German Institution of Human Nutrition’s research has been published in the November 13 issue of New England Journal of Medicine. This included 360,000 people from 9 European countries that were part of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

It seems that the waist size is a good indicator of risks associated with chronic diseases or even death. The study shows a disturbing fact, that even 2 inches raise the chance of early death by almost 17% percent.

Furthermore, risks of premature death are higher for men with a waist size of more than 47 inches and women with a waist of more than 39 inches.

This study wants to urge doctors to pay closer attention to the waist size of patients. This way, hip and waist measurements should be incorporated into routine health checks to identify individuals who may develop health problems. Researchers did not focus on why some people develop big waistlines, but they say anyone with a large waist should increase their daily exercise, avoid drinking alcohol excessively and improve their diet.