The standards for measuring physical health are not limited to BMI and waist circumference, neck circumference cannot be ignored!

I heard that people with thick necks are not destined to live a long and healthy life.

Modern people's lives are getting better and better.

If you eat well but exercise less, you will inevitably get fat over time.

Some people have fat bellies, some have thick thighs, and some have bloated necks.

Double chins are still common, and the most terrifying thing is that the neck is no longer visible.

Did you know that a thick neck not only makes you look fat and unattractive, but is also harmful to your health?

Fat accumulation in the neck, especially between the muscles, poses a higher risk of cardiometabolic risks and inflammation, and is just as dangerous as a "beer belly," or accumulation of visceral fat.

In November 2020, the International Journal of Obesity published a research warning indicating that a thick neck and a double chin indicate a higher risk of central and systemic obesity, cardiometabolism, and body inflammation.

Thick neck - prone to multiple diseases and heart disease

Neck circumference is actually an important indicator for measuring cardiovascular risk. The article "Correlation Analysis between Neck Circumference and Coronary Heart Disease" published in the New Medical Journal in 2017 shows that if a man's neck circumference is above 36.38cm, the risk of coronary heart disease increases, especially for people between 36.38-37.8cm, who have the highest risk of coronary heart disease. For women with neck circumferences between 33.6-35.35cm, the risk of coronary heart disease is 1.42 times that of people below 32.28cm, and the risk of coronary heart disease for people with neck circumferences above 35.35cm is 2.54 times that of people below 32.28cm.

However, according to the World Health Organization's recommendations, the neck circumference of a healthy person is less than 38cm for men and less than 35cm for women. You can measure yourself to see if you exceed the standard. Neck circumference measurement method: Place the tape measure on the upper edge of the seventh cervical vertebra (the most protruding part of the back of the neck) and below the Adam's apple to measure the thinnest part of the middle neck.

diabetes

Even if your waist is within the standard, a large neck circumference still puts you at high risk of diabetes. People with large neck circumference tend to have high blood sugar. The article "Correlation Analysis between Neck Circumference and Insulin Resistance in Community Non-diabetic Populations" published in the Chinese Journal of Endocrinology and Metabolism in 2015 found that large neck circumference is closely related to insulin resistance and various cardiovascular metabolic risk factors. Therefore, the larger the neck circumference, the higher the risk of diabetes.

High cholesterol

People with large neck circumference often have high blood lipids. In 2012, the article "Correlation Analysis between Neck Circumference and Abnormal Blood Lipids in Adult Health Examination" published in the Journal of Clinical Metabolism found that the abnormal blood lipid rate of people with large neck circumference is significantly higher than that of ordinary people. Hyperlipidemia is the culprit of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and the damage to the body caused by high blood lipids is hidden, gradual, progressive and systemic. Its direct damage is to accelerate systemic atherosclerosis.

Sleep apnea

In the respiratory department of the hospital, doctors often measure the patient's neck circumference to help determine whether there is a risk of sleep apnea syndrome. In the article "Relationship between the severity of obstructive sleep apnea hypopnea syndrome and neck circumference and weight" published in the Chinese Medical Journal in 2002, it was found that there is a certain correlation between sleep apnea and neck circumference. Sleep apnea is a very scary thing. Apnea can repeatedly cause nocturnal hypoxia and hypercapnia attacks, and can cause multiple complications such as hypertension, coronary heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and even sudden death at night.

If your neck circumference exceeds the standard, it means that your body is facing health risks. The best advice is to eat less and move more! Control your diet and increase aerobic exercise to achieve the effect of reducing body fat and neck circumference. This will prevent the occurrence of chronic diseases caused by excessive neck circumference.