The average waist size for U.S. women is 38.5 inches, indicating widespread abdominal obesity. Larger waist sizes are linked with increased risks of chronic diseases, like heart disease and diabetes.

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Nov 5, 2025)—Weight gain, especially at the waist, is common during the perimenopause and postmenopause period. Such gain, along with declining estrogen levels that are common after ...

Heart attack survivors who carry extra weight around their belly are at greater risk of another heart attack, new research has found, another reason why measuring your waist may be more important than ...

A woman's body shape, and not just her weight, may have an impact on her health. Women with a waist circumference of 35 inches (88 centimeters) or more face an increased risk for obesity-related ...

New research underscores that waist circumference, not BMI, is often the more accurate predictor of serious health risks, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Unlike BMI ...

Doctors often use BMI, or Body Mass Index, to quickly screen patients for more tests. But having a normal or low BMI doesn’t mean you’re healthy, nor having a high BMI mean you’re unhealthy. To help ...

For years, women have been told that weight gain could lead to heart disease. A new study indicates that it is the location of the fat that matters most, with abdominal fat representing the greatest ...