Neck circumference can be used to assess whether body fat concentration indicates a risk of developing diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, or obesity. The ideal neck circumference measure is up to 37 cm for men and up to 34 cm for women.
However, in addition to assessing neck size, it is also necessary to evaluate other parameters such as calculating BMI to confirm if the person is overweight, in addition to assessing cholesterol, triglycerides and the lifestyle of each person, to make the more reliable result.
When the man is less than 39.5 cm and the woman is less than 36.5 cm, it is considered as having a low risk of suffering from heart disease or blood circulation disorders, but generally larger measures are generally observed in people with BMI above 30, which indicates obesity.
How to Measure Neck Circumference
To measure the size of the neck, one should stand and pass the tape measure around the neck, placing it exactly in the middle of the neck.
The neck gets wider in people who are overweight, because the fat also accumulates in this region. Measuring the neck is a good way to find out if it is within the ideal weight because it is simple and practical, with reliable result, taking advantage of waist and hip measurement that can give altered results, when there is abdominal distension, respiratory movements or the person tries to shrink his belly to look slimmer, for example.
What to do when the neck is high
When the man shows more than 37 cm, and the woman, more than 34 cm of neck it is necessary to increase the physical activity, betting on the cardiovascular exercises like walking, running and swimming, and also to dieting, reducing the daily consumption of sugars, fats and consequently, calories.
A nutritionist may indicate what foods you may or may not eat, but some of them are:
| What you can eat / drink | What can not eat / drink |
| water, coconut water, flavored water and natural fruit juice without sugar | soda, processed juice, sugary drinks |
| vegetables and raw vegetables or cooked in water and salt or braised with the least possible amount of olive oil | fries or other fried or fried vegetables or vegetables |
| lean meats like fish, chicken breast, turkey breast, rabbit | fatty meats such as cod, tuna, chicken or turkey leg, turkey or chicken wings |
| brown rice or rice with grains or seeds | simple white rice |
| low-sugar fruits, peeled and bagasse such as orange, papaya, strawberry | very sweet fruits and peels like grapes, peaches in syrup, all kinds of sweets like pudding, quindim, ice cream, cheese, chocolate, cakes, sweets |
In relation to the exercises you should practice at least 3 times a week some physical activity that can burn fat. One can start with a 1 hour walk daily, but the intensity of exercise should progress every month, becoming more and more intense, so that it can actually burn off excess fat. Exercising like bodybuilding is also important because it helps to build more muscles that will consume more energy, making it easier to burn fat.
