It is well known that being overweight or obese can contribute to heart disease and heart attacks. Now, a new study shows that extra weight around your belly in particular increases your risk of stroke.

A study found that obesity was more common among individuals who had suffered a stroke. How ever, the relationship only held for waist circumference, which measures belly fat, and not for BMI, a measure of overall weight.

People with bigger waist circumferences (greater than 40 inches for men and 35 inches for women) had four times the stroke risk when compared with people with typical waistlines. Participants with the highest waist-to-hip ratio had nearly eight times the risk of stroke when compared to people with the lowest ratios.