Gallstones are crystallized deposits in the gallbladder that can cause inflammation. Cholecystectomy is a commonly performed surgery that removes the gallbladder due to gallstone disease. Waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and body mass index (BMI) measurements are used as indicators of obesity. Now research reports that women with abdominal obesity (reflected by waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio) are more likely to have gallbladder surgery to remove gallstones.
The study, published in the journal Gut, investigated whether abdominal obesity contributes independently of total obesity to the risk of gallstone disease. Researchers at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, compared the waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and height-adjusted weights of 42,312 female nurses, aged 39 to 66 years. The nurses were free of prior gall bladder disease and participated in the Nurses' Health Study from 1986 to 2000. The participants completed a detailed questionnaire every two years including their weights, heights, and waist and hip circumferences, and the occurrence of cholecystectomy.
Researchers found that participants with height-adjusted waist circumferences of 36 inches or more had about twice the risk of gallstone surgery than those with height-adjusted waists of less than 26 inches. Furthermore, participants with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.86 or higher had a nearly 40 percent higher risk of gallstone surgery than those with a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 0.70.
The study results suggest that deep abdominal fat may be more harmful than fat in other parts of the body. "Abdominal circumference and waist to hip ratio were associated with an increased risk of cholecystectomy, independently of body mass index in women," the study authors conclude.
REFERENCES:
1. Tsai CJ et al. Central adiposity, regional fat distribution, and the risk of cholecystectomy in women. Gut 2006 May;55(5):708-14. Epub 2006 Feb 14.
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on July 17, 2006 02:15 PM
