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Waist-to-height ratio and the risk of dying

Most people watch the scale. The scale can’t see where fat sits. This ratio can, and a higher one was linked to a higher risk of dying, even after accounting for BMI.

Where you stand

Jayedi 2020 pooled 72 cohorts and found the association held after adjusting for BMI — this ratio catches central fat that weight alone can miss.

Each row is one study of death risk from waist-to-height ratio. The bright line is what that study found. The band around it is the range the data still supports — it fades where the evidence thins. Left of the centre line is lower risk.

what the study foundstill plausibleno change
each 0.1-unit increase in waist-to-height ratio
Jayedi et al. 2020
24% higher
range 12–36% higher
per 1 SD increase in WHtR (general population)
Abdi Dezfouli et al. 2023
16% higher
range 7–25% higher

What it is

Waist circumference divided by height. Most people track weight or BMI. Where fat sits on the body matters too, and this ratio is a simple way to check central fat that a scale alone misses.

How it is modeled (not scored)

Technical notes

The curve is Jayedi 2020 BMJ: dose-response meta-analysis, 72 cohorts, 2,528,297 people. Per 0.1-unit increase in waist-to-height ratio, all-cause mortality HR 1.24 (1.12–1.36), a nearly J-shaped association that persisted after adjusting for BMI. Main source: Jayedi. Supporting: Abdi Dezfouli 2023 (20 studies, per-1-SD HR 1.16 (1.07–1.25) / highest-vs-lowest HR 1.23 (1.04–1.41), corroborates magnitude, does not reproduce Jayedi's J-shape or 0.1-unit curve) / Carmienke 2013 (an earlier, pre-Jayedi synthesis that characterized waist-to-height ratio as monotonically positive rather than J-shaped, no single pooled HR stated) / Ashwell & Gibson 2014 (the 0.5 screening threshold's own honesty point: BMI alone would misclassify roughly 10% of the whole UK population, and over 25% of UK adults who are "normal weight" by BMI, as not needing to take care).

How to improve it

  • Combine aerobic activity with strength training
  • Measure waist and height together — weight alone can miss this

Sources

5 cited
  1. Cerhan et al. (2014) — Mayo Clinic Proceedings
    A pooled analysis of waist circumference and mortality in 650,000 adults
    View source
  2. Jayedi et al. (2020) — The BMJ
    Central fatness and risk of all cause mortality: systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of 72 prospective cohort studies
    View source
  3. Abdi Dezfouli et al. (2023) — International Journal of Obesity
    Waist to height ratio as a simple tool for predicting mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis
    View source
  4. Carmienke et al. (2013) — European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
    General and abdominal obesity parameters and their combination in relation to mortality: a systematic review and meta-regression analysis
    View source
  5. Ashwell & Gibson (2014) — BMC Medicine
    A proposal for a primary screening tool: 'Keep your waist circumference to less than half your height'
    View source

Not part of your score
Waist-to-Height Ratio is tracked here for its research. It does not count toward the 8-marker MarkerScore. See what does in the calculator.
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Educational content only — not medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Not a medical device; not FDA evaluated. Consult a qualified healthcare professional about your own health, and call emergency services for urgent symptoms. Full medical disclaimer →