--- title: Belly Fat and Chronic Disease Are Even More Linked description: Studies have suggested that people with excess belly fat are more likely to have chronic health problems and die prematurely. canonical: https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-02-15T17:27:10.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:54:38.991Z article:section: Health og:title: Here’s Another Reason Belly Fat Is Really Bad for You og:description: It could lead to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease og:url: https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc56bd09f6b6c17ad/6987788e5f570f6560b148ec/health-weight-scale-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME.com stock photos Weight Loss Health Exercise Scale og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here’s Another Reason Belly Fat Is Really Bad for You twitter:description: It could lead to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc56bd09f6b6c17ad/6987788e5f570f6560b148ec/health-weight-scale-2.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here’s the Strongest Evidence Yet That Belly Fat Is Really Bad for You ## Video: How Gut Bacteria May Predict Belly Fat [Watch (HLS stream): How Gut Bacteria May Predict Belly Fat](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Qs793RZL.m3u8) (0:50)  _Published 2016-09-26. Why your poop can be a window into your weight_ by [Health.com /Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/health-com-amanda-macmillan/) ## Health.com /Amanda MacMillan Feb 15, 2017 5:27 PM UTC  Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME by [Health.com /Amanda MacMillan](https://time.com/author/health-com-amanda-macmillan/) ## Health.com /Amanda MacMillan Feb 15, 2017 5:27 PM UTC Carrying extra weight around your middle could mean more than just too-tight pants: You may have a higher risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes, according to a new [study](http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/article-abstract/2601502) of more than 400,000 people published in the _Journal of the American Medical Association_. The authors say that their findings provide the strongest evidence yet that belly fat is directly linked to the development of chronic disease. [Obesity](http://www.health.com/obesity) is a well-known risk factor for both heart disease and diabetes. But for any given [body mass index](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20948380,00.html/view-all#bmi-0) (which is calculated using height and weight), distribution of body fat can vary substantially: Some people pack more fat around their hips, for example, and others around their stomachs. Studies have suggested that people with excess belly fat—aka [visceral fat](http://www.health.com/health/article/0,,20899063,00.html)—are more likely to have chronic health problems and [die prematurely](http://www.health.com/obesity/belly-fat-is-bad-even-at-a-normal-weight). “But it wasn’t clear if that was due to the abdominal fat itself, or the fact that people with abdominal fat also tend to have other unhealthy behaviors, like [smoking](http://www.health.com/smoking) or not exercising,” says lead author Connor Emdin, PhD, a researcher at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Since body shape is partially genetic, Emdin and his colleagues wanted to see if they could trace these increased disease risks all the way back to people’s DNA. This could help rule out overlapping effects of lifestyle habits, he says, and show whether abdominal obesity is a risk factor all on its own. To investigate, the researchers analyzed genomic data and medical records from more than 400,000 people. They found that people who carried combinations of genes that predisposed them to [higher waist-to-hip ratios](http://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2601502) (a measure of abdominal obesity) were 77% more likely to have diabetes, and 46% more likely to have coronary heart disease, than those who weren’t predisposed. They were also more likely to have risk factors for these conditions, such as high [cholesterol](http://www.health.com/cholesterol), high [blood pressure](http://www.health.com/hypertension), and high blood glucose levels. **_Health.com_**_:_ [_18 Superfoods for Your Heart_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20720182,00.html/?xid=time) Looking solely at people’s genetic risk—and not at their _actual_ waist-to-hip ratio, which could also be influenced by unhealthy behaviors—helped the researchers conclude, with greater certainty than ever before, that belly fat really does contribute to [heart disease](http://www.health.com/heart-disease) and [diabetes](http://www.health.com/type-2-diabetes/stay-fit-stay-well). That doesn’t mean people with certain genes are doomed. “The amount of fat that you store around your stomach is influenced by genetics, but it’s also strongly influenced by exercise and diet,” Emdin says. “If you don’t exercise and you don’t eat healthy, you’re going to have a lot more fat around your abdomen.” [**_Subscribe to the Healthy Living newsletter_**](http://www.health.com/mind-body/healthy-living-newsletter) **_for the latest wellness, fitness, and nutrition news_** In that sense, Emdin says, the study highlights the importance of a healthy lifestyle—no matter what your genetic background. “The message here is that if you want to reduce your health risks, you should [minimize the fat](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20807507,00.html) you store around your abdomen,” he says. _This_ [_article_](http://www.health.com/heart-disease/genes-belly-fat-diabetes-heart-disease/?xid=time) _originally appeared on_ [_Health.com_](http://www.health.com) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/"},"headline":"Here’s the Strongest Evidence Yet That Belly Fat Is Really Bad for You","datePublished":"2017-02-15T17:27:10.000Z","dateModified":"2026-08-04T07:54:38.991Z","description":"It could lead to a higher risk of diabetes and heart disease","url":"https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/","keywords":["Obesity","onetime"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc56bd09f6b6c17ad/6987788e5f570f6560b148ec/health-weight-scale-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Health.com /Amanda MacMillan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/health-com-amanda-macmillan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc56bd09f6b6c17ad/6987788e5f570f6560b148ec/health-weight-scale-2.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"TIME.com stock photos Weight Loss Health Exercise Scale","caption":"TIME.com stock photos Weight Loss Health Exercise Scale","creditText":"Elizabeth Renstrom for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/obesity/","name":"Obesity"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/","name":"Here’s the Strongest Evidence Yet That Belly Fat Is Really Bad for You"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"How Gut Bacteria May Predict Belly Fat","description":"Why your poop can be a window into your weight","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/Qs793RZL/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-09-26T15:05:10.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/Qs793RZL.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/","duration":"PT50S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/4671759/belly-fat-chronic-disease-link/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```