Americans Waistlines Are Expanding And That's Not Good Fat

"If your belt needs to be let out a notch, you're not alone. The average American waistline is growing even though obesity rates haven't grown, too. And excess abdominal fat increases the risk of heart disease, diabetes and stroke."

"The collective American waistline grew by an more than inch from 1999-2000 to 2011-2012, according to a study published Tuesday in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association."

"The study results come at a time when the percentage of Americans who are overweight or obese has stabilized. In short, people haven't been getting fatter, but their waistlines are still increasing."

"'We're a little bit puzzled for explanations,' Dr. Earl Ford, a medical epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and lead author of the study, tells Shots. The two measures are closely related: While body mass index or BMI measures fat overall, waist circumference helps measure fat distribution."