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Last Updated: Dec 27th, 2006 - 19:07:47 |
Belly fat may raise the risk of gallstones in older women, suggests a new study.
The study, published on Feb 14 in the online edition of Gut, a journal of British Society of Gastroenterology, found abdominal circumference and waist-to- hip ratio were associated with an increased risk of gallstones and gall bladder removal or cholecystectomy in women.
For the study, Edward Giovannucci of Harvard University and colleagues from other institutions, followed 42,312 women aged 39 to 66 in 1986, who participated in the Nurse's Health Study, for an average of 12 years. Participants, free of gallstones when entering the study, were surveyed for their weights, heights, and waist and hip circumferences and the occurrence of cholecystectomy.
In the study, Giovannucci and colleagues evaluated the relationship between abdominal circumference and waist-to-hip ratio and risk of cholecystectomy in the participants.
During the follow-up, a total of 3,197 cases of cholecystectomy were documented.
After other risk factors were considered, women with a height-adjusted waist circumference of 36 inches or larger were almost twice more likely to have the risk of cholecystectomy compared with women with a height- adjusted waist circumference of less than 26 inches, the study found. The
Women with a waist-to-hip ratio of 0.86 or higher were 40 percent more likely to have the risk compared with those with a waist-to-hip ratio of less than 0.70.
Doctors will often remove the gallbladder along with the gallstones if gallstones are found too big, a procedure that critics say is unnecessary and can cause a lifetime deficiency of essential fatty acids.
However, effective non-invasive alternative treatments are now available.
Editor's note: Subscribe to our newsletter for further information on alternative treatments.
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