Heart Disease
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5 min. read
Understanding the relationship between obesity and the heart
Obesity and the cardiovascular system: understanding how weight loss can help lower the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Use the Waist-to-Height Ratio calculator
The Waist-to-Height Ratio calculator is a tool that provides an assessment of your health risk, by dividing your waist circumference by your height to estimate how much fat is distributed around your stomach. While Body Mass Index gives a general indication of obesity, the Waist-to-Height Ratio calculator can be used to estimate your risk of heart disease and other obesity-related risk factors (e.g., type 2 diabetes, hypertension). The tool is designed to support people living with obesity to focus on reducing their health risks as part of an overall approach to improving health.
Try this Waist-to-Height Ratio calculator for yourself. Using a measuring tape to help you, enter your waist circumference and height in the calculator below to find out what your result may mean for your heart health.
Check your Waist-to-Height Ratio
Metric
Imperial
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Imperial
Why do I need to calculate this?
BMI can only screen for obesity, it can’t measure body fat distribution which may indicate one's risk of heart related conditions. For that you need to calculate your Waist-to-Height Ratio.
References
- NICE. Overweight and obesity management. 2025. Available at: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng246. Retrieved June 10, 2025.
- The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. Commission on the definition and diagnostic criteria of clinical obesity: Diagnosing clinical obesity infographic. 2025. Available at: https://www.thelancet.com/infographics-do/clinical-obesity-25. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
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