A beer belly doesn’t just look bad. A new study shows it can be dangerous, too.

According to a data analysis done by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, people who carry fat around the middle of the body are at much greater risk of death or heart disease. Among men with similar body-mass indexes, those with an abnormally large belly have an overall 87 percent higher risk of death compared with those who have a normal waist-to-hip ratio. For women, having a bigger belly raises the risk of death by 48 percent. The researchers’ findings were published recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The data were compiled from a large national study of more than 15,000 adults whose health habits were tracked for more than 14 years. The health risks associated with a larger midsection persisted even when researchers controlled for factors such as smoking, heart attacks and diabetes.

The findings shed more light on the location of body fat as an indication of health. Even those who were a normal weight but had a “pot belly” were more likely to die than people of any weight who had normal fat distribution. The research shows that men with midsection obesity were more than twice as likely to die when compared with overweight men whose fat was more evenly distributed.

Experts say these findings are also a cautionary tale for people whose weight is normal. It’s not just about having a typical weight. While it’s ideal to be within normal weight limits, the benefits mostly extend to people who have an even distribution of fat. Because of this, people whose weight is considered normal can’t always assume they don’t have any fat-related health problems.

But’s it not too late to get in shape. With a little extra effort, that spare tire around the belly can be deflated.