Try This One-Minute Test to Uncover Hidden Health Risks

Portrait of a beautiful middle-aged woman touching her neck.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

When it comes to key numbers that give you insight into health status, things such as blood pressure and BMI probably come to mind.

There's another number, however, that can give you unexpected insight into serious health risks, including your chances of developing diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

You can find out this number with a simple tape measure, and it's worth doing to shine a light on hidden health risks that you can work to eliminate.

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Take this measurement today to get insight into your health

To better understand potential health issues that might be lurking under the surface, grab a tape measure and measure your neck circumference. Measure around the thinnest part of your neck.

Science Daily recently urged readers to try this test, noting that while a thick neck might make you think of athletes or strength, research has shown that serious health risks might be more likely in people whose necks are large relative to their overall body size.

One reason why that's the case: A thick neck is an outward indicator of visceral fat, which collects around internal organs.

Too much visceral fat is bad for your body

Visceral fat is normal, and everyone has some. As the Cleveland Clinic explains, visceral fat lines the walls of your abdomen and wraps around internal organs, including the heart, kidneys, liver, gallbladder, pancreas, intestines and mesentery.

Visceral fat is made of adipocytes (fat cells) that are sensitive to hormonal changes. Everyone has some of it, but if you're obese, have diabetes, have high cholesterol, or have a disease of the circulatory system or the endocrine system, you might have more of it than normal.

The normal visceral fat range is around 10% of your body, but if you develop too much visceral fat, it's a bad sign for your overall health.

Excessive visceral fat is linked to serious conditions

As Science Daily explained, there is compelling evidence that people with thicker necks face a greater risk of:

Cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension, heart failure and atrial fibrillation, increase your risk of blood clots and stroke due to irregular heartbeats and erratic blood flow.
Coronary heart disease or a narrowing of the arteries, resulting in the reduced flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart.
Gestational or type 2 diabetes, which can cause nerve damage and vision loss, as well as increase the risk of limb amputation.
Sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea, which causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start while sleeping, resulting in added stress on the heart and blood vessels, as well as severe daytime fatigue.

How thick is too thick?

To be clear, it's not the thick neck by itself that causes this risk. Neck thickness is a visible and easily measurable indicator of the type and amount of fat stored within your body.

While it's just one sign of your overall health, you should be aware that you face added health risks if your neck size is larger than:

17 inches (43 centimeters) for men
14 inches (35.5 centimeters) for women

You can measure yourself in under a minute with a flexible tape measure, wrapping it around the narrowest part of your neck.

Keep the tape measure snug but not too tight, and record the number to see whether you fall within the healthy range.

You can change your neck circumference

What happens if your neck comes up as too thick? The good news is, you aren't stuck with this situation forever. You can make changes, including:

Engaging in regular exercise, including cardiovascular workouts and strength training.
Eating healthy, including reducing processed food intake and eating more fruits and vegetables.
Doing targeted exercises, including chin tucks, neck rolls and shoulder shrugs.

You can also take steps to reduce visceral fat specifically, including getting enough sleep, reducing stress to limit cortisol-induced weight gain and limiting alcohol to help your body focus on burning stored fat. You should always check with your doctor before making diet or exercise changes.

With a few basic lifestyle changes, you can get a slimmer neck and better health. It will do a whole lot more than just improve the fit of a tie or a necklace, and your body will thank you.

Christy Bieber is an experienced personal finance and legal writer who has been writing since 2008. She has been published by Forbes, CNN, WSJ Buyside, Motley Fool, and many other online sites. She has a JD from UCLA and a degree in English, Media, and Communications from the University of Rochester.