Belly Fat Could Increase Heart Disease Risk

heart disease risk is increased by abdominal fat

Having hidden belly fat could worsen heart disease risk factors.

According to a recent study, having hidden belly fat could worsen heart disease risk factors. The findings proved that people who carry excessive abdomen fat also called ‘spare tire’ have a greater disease risk than those who have fat deposits in other parts of the body.

The US National Heart Lung and Blood Institute mentioned that how much fat one person has is as important as the density of the stomach fat, specifically the hidden fat from the belly area. Normally, the lower the fat density, the higher the fat deposits.

The senior researcher of the study, Caroline Fox, and a former analyst at the U.S. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute stated that a lower density fat and an increase in the amount of belly fat are linked to a greater disease risk factor.

1,106 adults from the Framingham Heart Study were analyzed using CT scans to examine the location, quality, and quantity of the abdominal fat. Participants were on average 45 years old, and 56 percent of them were men.

Specialists noted that the decreased fat density and increased fat located in the abdominal area were linked to a variation in the heart disease risk. Moreover, every extra pound of fat was associated with an increased hypertension, higher triglycerides, and metabolic syndrome.

Following the next six years of the monitoring period, adult participants gained on average a 45 percent visceral adipose fat also known as the fat inside the belly area and a 22 percent increase in subcutaneous adipose fat, which is fat under the skin.

However, the scientists mentioned that the study only revealed a link between cardiovascular disease and fat accumulated in the abdomen area and it does not mean that belly fat could indeed increase heart disease risk.

Today is the World Heart Day, and the World Heart Federation (WHF) is asking people to take action and transform the one in ten lives that are being taken prematurely because of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

CVD claims more than 17 million lives each year, and this makes it the leading cause of death globally. According to specialists, nearly 80 percent of premature deaths resulting from cardiovascular disease could be avoided.

WHF is asking governments and policymakers to implement reliable monitoring systems for CVD. Moreover, people could monitor their heart health by using the new Heart IQ Test to understand how ‘heart smart’ they are.

Image source: Wikipedia

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Roxanne Briean

I am a geek, a gamer and a writer. I have always been fascinated with the online community. At the moment I work as a full-time writer and study interior design. When I'm not scouring the net in search of interesting new gadgets and software I spend my time in MOBAs or drawing.