Almost nine in 10 people are not aware of the risks of carrying extra fat around their waistline.
A survey of 12,000 Europeans found most had no idea that a thick waist was a sign of a build-up of a dangerous type of fat around the internal organs. This "visceral fat" is strongly linked with type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
It is thought that the danger of visceral fat is related to the release of proteins and hormones that can cause inflammation, which in turn can damage arteries and enter your liver, and affect how your body breaks down sugars and fats.