LONDON — Scientists have come up with a new measure of whether you are overweight. They say slimmers should check whether their waist is more than half their height.

If it is, then you have an higher risk of living a shorter life.

A 30-year-old non-smoking man could reduce his life expectancy by as much as 14% if his waist-height ratio is 0.7 and by as much as a third if it is 0.8.

Dr. Margaret Ashwell, of Oxford Brookes University, Ashwell, said: “Keeping your waist circumference to less than half your height can help increase life expectancy for every person in the world.”

BMI measures body weight compared to height but researchers already know that waist circumference is a more accurate pointer to ill health. The researchers looked at 300,000 of many different nationalities including those with type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, and abnormal fat levels.

Dr. Ashwell said waist to height measurements are much simpler and could be a “one-size fits all approach” — one that is gaining support for children as well as adults in a variety of countries as diverse as the USA, the UK, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Iran, and India.

“Keep your waist circumference to less than half your height” to avoid increasing risk of these adverse risk factors, Dr. Ashwell said. She also proposes that, should a second level of increased risk be needed, that this be to keep your waist to below 60% of height.

The research, the first to show the advantage of waist to height measurement, was presented to the European conference on obesity in Lyon. Most importantly, statistical analysis showed waist to height to be significantly better than just waist circumference for diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular problems and all outcomes in men and women.

“For the first time, robust statistical evidence from studies involving more than 300,000 adults in several ethnic groups shows the superiority of WHtR over both WC and BMI for detecting cardiometabolic risk factors in both sexes. WHtR should therefore be considered as a screening tool,” the researchers say. Research suggests starting the day with egg proteins rather than wheat will keep hunger at bay.

Participants felt fuller during the morning and ate less at lunch time after having egg for breakfast, compared to cereal.

Tracy Parker, Heart Health Dietitian at the British Heart Foundation, said: “This finding could help people who are trying to lose weight or stop snacking.

“It shows the quality of protein in your diet, rather than the quantity, can affect how full you feel. — SG