We've discussed many of the health problems associated with obesity so often in this space, you may be thinking, "I'm not obese… I've got a 'little' belly on me, but I workout. I'm good." Not so fast…

You may not be overweight or obese by some measures, but the more abdominal fat you have hugging your waist -- especially at middle age -- the greater your chances are of dying from any cause, according to researchers with the American Cancer Society who tracked the health of more than 100,000 men and women from 1997-2006 based on the association between waist circumference and mortality rates.

Patients with waist sizes exceeding 46 and 41 inches in men and women, respectively, nearly doubled their chances of dying, despite their BMI and weight. Even worse, this link between belly fat and higher mortality rates was strongest among women who maintained a normal weight. And, 4 extra inches of belly fat increased a patient's chances of death by 10 percent.

Just a reminder, obesity contributes greatly to various forms of cancer, but you can do a great deal to protect your health and that of your family in the gym and at the dinner table.

Archives of Internal Medicine, Vol. 170, No. 15, pp. 1293-1301, August 9/23, 2010

Yahoo News August 10, 2010

ScienceDaily August 9, 2010