A report from GlaxoSmithKline, showed that in a survey of 12,000 Europeans, almost 9 out of 10 had no idea that carrying extra fat around the waist carried severe health risks. Excess fat around the waist is a sign that there is dangerous fat building up around the internal organs. This type of fat is strongly linked to type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
The report by Dr. Terry Maguire, has shown that waist circumference is a good indicator of this visceral fat, and therefore their risks of disease such as type 2 diabetes. It also pointed out that visceral fat is more readily broken down for energy than the fat under the skin, and even relatively small amounts of lost visceral fat could make big differences in lowering health risks.
Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/8436409.stm
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