Stop accumulating belly fat! Cardiovascular disease is on the rise

The latest research from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology points out that even if an individual's body mass index (BMI) is within the standard range, if he or she has a big belly and abdominal fat accumulation, his or her risk of cardiovascular disease may still increase.

The study recruited 1,106 middle-aged subjects and followed them for up to 6 years. The results of computed tomography scans (CT scans) showed that over the past six years, the subjects' subcutaneous fat increased by an average of 22%, while their intra-abdominal fat increased by about 45%. In general, increased total fat mass and decreased fat density were associated with an increased risk of heart disease; although increases in both types of fat in different parts of the body were associated with cardiovascular risk factors, according to the authors' experimental results, increases in abdominal fat were more closely associated with the appearance and worsening of cardiovascular risk factors than subcutaneous fat.

The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Vol. 68, No. 14, pp. 1509-1521

This article is from ELSEVIER Global Pharmaceutical News