Is It True That Jeans Size Affects Death Risk? This Is An Expert Explanation

Illustration of women wearing jeans (Photo: Freepik/Freepik)

JAKARTA - The size of jeans is often considered just a matter of appearance. Whereas behind the figure on the waist size, it is hidden the risk of health that cannot be underestimated. A number of studies show that the waist circumference and buildup of fat in the stomach area are closely related to the risk of serious illness to early death.

In contrast to weight that can be influenced by muscle mass or body structure, the size of the pants, especially in the waist, reflects more the amount of viseral fat, which is fat that accumulates around the inner organs.

Fat in the stomach area is known as one of the most dangerous types of fat. Viseral fat can trigger chronic inflammation and increase the risk of various diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Dr. Frank Hu, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, explains that fat distribution is much more important than just weight numbers.

"A person can look thin from the outside, but if fat accumulates in the stomach, the risk of metabolic and cardiovascular disease remains high," explained Dr. Hu, quoted from the Fedhealth page.

This is the reason why two people with the same weight can have very different health risks, depending on where their body fat is stored.

Several large studies have found that the growing waist circumference is related to the increasing risk of death, even in people with a body mass index (IMT) which is still relatively normal.

"The stomach fat is hormoneally active. It releases substances that affect blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and cholesterol. This combination increases the risk of premature death," explained Dr. Rexford Ahima, an endocrinologist from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

This means that the size of the pants that rise slowly over time can be a signal of early warning from the body.

Jeans tend to be inelastic, so small changes in the waist circumference are easier to feel. When buttons start to become difficult to close or feel narrow, it often indicates additional fat in the stomach area, not just a regular bloating stomach. Therefore, you should be more sensitive to changes in clothing size.

There are some habits that unknowingly contribute to the size of the waist, including sitting for too long and lack of physical activity, consumption of processed sugar and carbohydrate foods, lack of sleep, and chronic strests that trigger excessive eating. This combination of factors encourages the body to store fat in the stomach area because it is related to the stress hormone and insulin resistance.

Although it sounds worrying, experts emphasize that belly fat is a relatively responsive type of fat to lifestyle changes.

"The weight loss of 5'10 percent alone is enough to significantly reduce the viseral fat and reduce the risk of disease," said Dr. Hu.

Simple steps such as regular walking, reducing sweet drinks, improving sleep patterns, and managing stress have proven to be effective in helping to shrink the waist circumference.