Beer Belly More Deadly Than Obesity, New Study Finds

Going to your doctor may soon look more like going to your tailor. Instead of starting with a request to step on a scale, he or she may measure your waist.

That's because a new study concludes that excess belly fat, even if you are skinny everywhere else, may be even more

deadly than being obese or overweight.

This study appears in the latest edition of Annals of Internal Medicine. After looking at data from over 15,000 people, researchers estimate that men with pot bellies have twice the mortality risk of people who are just overweight or obese.

Women with a similar fat distribution had 1.5 times the risk for death. 

And that's saying something when you know that being obese already increases your likelihood of having a heart attack , a

stroke, diabetes or even cancer.

In other words, your beer belly may be killing you.

As of now, the guidelines to manage obesity tell your doctor to look at your body mass index , the measure of body fat using a

calculation based on your height and weight. It is possible to have a "healthy" BMI and a slim butt, arms and legs. But if your pants are hard to button, and your low-riders make a muffin top, you should still watch your weight.

Source: cnn.com