For a millions of adults in the United States, involuntary loss of bowel control, or fecal incontinence (FI), has a major negative influence on their quality of life and mental health.
Although it is believed that obesity has an impact on bowel function, it is still unknown how body mass index (BMI), the usual measure of obesity, and FI are related. Investigating more accurate indicators of obesity, like as body composition and fat distribution, as opposed to BMI alone, may provide more insight into how obesity affects FI.
In a cross-sectional examination of the U.S. population, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, showed that waist circumference-to-height ratio (WHtR), a marker of central obesity, was a greater predictor of FI than BMI.