A major new study, the PARAGON-HF trial, just exposed why BMI is not an accurate measure of health—and why we should be focusing on waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) instead!
🔬 Study Overview:
📌 4,796 participants with heart failure and preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF).
📌 Researchers compared BMI vs. WHtR to see which better predicted health risks & hospitalizations.
📌 Key focus:
Does total body weight (BMI) matter more than fat distribution (WHtR)?
📊 Key Findings:
✅ 96% of patients had central obesity (WHtR ≥0.5), but only 49% were "obese" by BMI!
✅ Many patients with "normal" BMI still had dangerous visceral fat, putting them at high risk of heart failure.
✅ WHtR was a far better predictor of total heart failure hospitalizations than BMI.
✅ The "obesity paradox" (higher BMI linked to better survival) appeared in BMI-based analysis but NOT in WHtR-based analysis—proving BMI masks real health risks.
🚨 Why This Matters:
➡️ BMI can misclassify you!
You could be at high risk despite a “normal” BMI if you have excess belly fat.
➡️ Visceral fat (around your organs) is the real danger—not just body weight.
➡️ WHtR > 0.5 is the red flag!
If your waist circumference is more than half your height, it’s time to take action.
🔥 Stop relying on BMI—use WHtR instead! Fat distribution matters far more than total weight when it comes to heart health, metabolic disease, and overall risk.
Peikert, A., et al., Near-universal prevalence of central adiposity in heart failure with preserved ejection fraction: the PARAGON-HF trial. European Heart Journal, 2025.

Comments