Larger waists linked to early death

A LARGE waistline increases the risk of premature death even for people who are not technically overweight, a major study has found.

For those in the top fifth of the midriff bulge range the chances of dying are doubled, according to the research.

Among individuals with the same relative body mass, each five centimetre increase in waist circumference was shown to increase mortality risk by 17% in men and 13% in women.