In 2010, Good Housekeeping reported that a woman’s neck measures 13.5 inches on average. Firmly wrapping a tap measure around the neck, just below the Adam’s apple, will reveal the neck’s circumference.

Studies on heart disease have frequently emphasised waist size. There is some proof, though, that the neck circumference also reflects a person’s risk for heart disease. Researchers from the Framingham Heart Study found that neck fat may be linked to high cholesterol and diabetes in a 2009 study including 3,320 people. Heart disease may result from them. The researchers found that if a man’s neck circumference is larger than 16 inches and a woman’s neck circumference is greater than 13 inches, the risk of heart disease increases.