This simple test that’s easy to do at home is a better measure of your health than BMI, even if that says you are within a healthy weight range
As a nation we are gaining weight rapidly, risking our lives and passing on bad habits to our children and future generations.
Fast food, busy lifestyles and genetics are largely to blame and a new BBC documentary looks at ways to battle the bulge and improve rates of obesity. Using scientific research, it claims to show how simple changes can help keep us trim by eating at the right times, keeping our gut bacteria in check and even how some researchers are looking at a simple injection that could solve the serious problem of obesity.
The simple string test is also shown and is a good place to start to check if you are overweight and taking years off your life. Quite simply, get yourself a piece of string that’s long enough to go from your heel to the top of your head. Then fold that length of string in half. See if you can fit it around your middleâ¦
If you can, that’s great, as waist size should be less than half your height, if you can’t it’s time to take a look at your diet and how much exercise you do. We now know that visceral fat â that around your middle â wraps around the body’s vital organs, those being the heart, liver and pancreas which in turn increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and of having dangerous levels of blood pressure.