Researchers say our expanding waistlines are hurting out hearts.

Dr. Arya Sharma of McMaster University's Department of Medicine says that abdominal obesity is become very prevalent in Canada.

After studying 150 thousand people in about 60 countries, including 3 thousand in Canada, she has concluded that an expanding waistline is associated with a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease.

70 percent of Canadian men and 60 percent of Canadian women are considered abdominally obese.

The International Diabetes Federation says the red flag should go up for men whose waists are 97 centimetres ( 37 inches ) or more... and women whose waists are 80 centimetres ( 31.5 inches ) or more.