Gerrard Kaonga
When it comes to your health, your waistline might not be the only part of your body you need to keep an eye on.
While keeping healthy is important regardless of who you are, the way we understand what healthy looks like is forever changing.
Recent studies have said more attention needs to be paid to the thickness of a neck when it comes to predicting potential developmental issues like heart disease and diabetes.
Most interestingly, a thick neck could mean trouble for people later down the line regardless of whether they have a healthy BMI.
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Dr Ahmed Elbediwy and Dr Nadine Wehida wrote a piece for The Conversation about why this is the case.
The pair wrote: “A competitive bodybuilder might have a high BMI, but clearly isn’t obese.”
This is ultimately because BMI (Body Mass Index) has several limitations. It does not distinguish between muscle and fat and it doesn’t reveal where fat is stored on the body.
The two experts noted that neck circumference can offer additional insight, as it can be a better gauge of excess visceral fat stored in the upper body.
This kind of fat is a concern due to the fact that it is more metabolically active compared to the fat stored in the lower body, meaning it releases fatty acids, hormones, and inflammatory substances more readily into the bloodstream.
With this increase in releases, some issues may arise, including the disruption of normal bodily functions, which promotes chronic inflammation and drives up insulin resistance — placing extra strain on your organs and increasing the likelihood of serious complications.
Scientists have linked a larger neck circumference to a higher risk of developing metabolic disorders such as type 2 and gestational diabetes.
According to a New York Post report, multiple studies have found strong associations between neck circumference and key risk factors for heart disease, high blood pressure, elevated triglycerides and low levels of HDL, or 'good' cholesterol.
With that said, researchers have also said that neck size shouldn’t replace your regular health check-ups and instead should be looked at as a tool to help you understand your health.
While there isn't an official consensus, what constitutes a large neck circumference is generally considered to be over 17 inches for men and 15.5 inches for women.
So if you are curious, get a tape measure and check it for yourself.