Know Your Odds for Heart Failure

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The problem with BMI is that it is "a simplistic measure," said Dr. Cora E. Lewis, professor of medicine and public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, lead author of the advisory. "It really is telling you about the total mass of the body. It can't tell you which part is fat and which is lean, and it can't tell you where the fat is located."

Waist circumference can be a good measure of obesity risk, Lewis said, with fat around the middle being the worst. "Studies show that a person with an apple shape has a greater risk than someone who looks like a pear," she explained.

Physical activity, dieting and other measures to reduce body fat are especially important for people with diabetes, Lewis added.

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More information

There's more on heart failure at the American Heart Association.

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