Two simple measurements have been found accurately predict the development of coronary heart disease. One is measuring the distance around the waistat the level of the belly button and the second is measuring blood triglyceride levels.

This research was just published based on a study of 25,668 men and women in Norfolk, United Kingdom.

Those considered to have a large waist measurement were men with a waist of 36 inches or more and women with a waist of 34 inches or more. Those considered as having high triglycerides were those with values 178 mg/dl or higher in men and 134 mg/dl or higher in women.

Based on these two measurements alone, men were 2.4 times more likely, and women were 3.8 times as likely to develop heart disease as those with normal waist measurements and lower triglyceride levels.

These two measurements may be as powerful as the more complicated criteria for the metabolic syndrome in predicting the risk of developing coronary heart disease.