According to the National Institutes of Health, a high Waist Circumference is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension and cardiovascular disease when the BMI is between 25 and 34.9.
Waist Circumference may be useful for individuals categorized as normal or overweight in terms of BMI. (For example, an athlete with increased muscle mass may have a BMI greater than 25, making him or her overweight on the BMI scale. However, a Waist Circumference measurement would most likely indicate that he or she is, in fact, not overweight).
Body Mass Index (BMI)