What diseases are linked to waist circumference in the Styku report?

Overview

Styku's scan report uses waist circumference to estimate a client's risk for several preventable diseases. This article explains the medical basis for each disease category shown in the report.

Steps / Details

Cancer

• Abdominal fat promotes chronic inflammation, which may encourage cancer cell growth.
• Higher levels of hormones like estrogen, produced by abdominal fat, are associated with hormone-sensitive cancers.
• Cancer types with established links to abdominal obesity include:
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • Endometrial cancer
  • Postmenopausal breast cancer
• The report displays a combined risk score across all cancers, not individual cancer types.
• Note: The report does not account for genetic or hereditary cancer risk.

Cardiovascular Disease

• Abdominal fat is more metabolically active than fat elsewhere in the body.
• It releases fatty acids and inflammatory molecules that can:
  • Build up plaque in the arteries
  • Increase the likelihood of blood clots
  • Raise blood pressure
• Conditions included under this category:
  • Coronary heart disease (heart attack)
  • Cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
  • Hypertension (high blood pressure)
  • Peripheral arterial disease (atherosclerosis)

Respiratory Disease

• Abdominal obesity causes systemic inflammation that can lead to airway inflammation, reducing breathing quality.
• Physical pressure from excess abdominal weight can restrict lung expansion.
• Conditions that may be affected include:
  • Asthma
  • Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
  • Pulmonary fibrosis

All Other Diseases and All-Cause Mortality

• A high waist circumference is broadly associated with increased risk across many additional health conditions.
• All-cause mortality refers to premature death from health-related diseases — a larger waist circumference increases this risk.
• This category provides a general estimate of overall disease and mortality risk.

Notes

• All disease risk values in the Styku report are derived from peer-reviewed scientific literature.
• Risk multipliers greater than 1.0 indicate elevated risk; a value of 1.4 means 40% greater risk than baseline.
• These are population-level estimates and should not be used as a substitute for clinical diagnosis or medical advice.
• Practitioners can use this information to explain to clients how excess abdominal fat affects health at a physiological level and to support motivation for lifestyle change.

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If the problem persists, contact support and include: the software version and a screenshot of the affected report section.

Applies to: All Styku configurations.