research published by the american heart association in their journal, circulation, is shedding light on
obesity and its impact on cardiovascular health. the
study suggests that people with abdominal
obesity or excess fat around the midsection and organs have an increased risk of heart disease even if their body mass index (bmi) is within a healthy range.
what is abdominal obesity?
abdominal
obesity, sometimes referred to as visceral adipose tissue, or vat, is a common cardiovascular disease risk marker. vat is determined by waist circumference, the ratio of waist circumference to height (taking body size into account) or waist-to-hip ratio and has been shown to predict cardiovascular death independent of bmi.
while high waist circumference or low waist-to-hip ratio could mean an increased risk of heart disease, abdominal obesity is also linked to fat accumulation around the liver that can lead to fatty liver disease, which adds to cardiovascular disease risk.
“studies that have examined the relationship between abdominal fat and cardiovascular outcomes confirm that visceral fat is a clear health hazard,” said tiffany m. powell-wiley, chair of the writing committee and chief of the social determinants of obesity and cardiovascular risk laboratory at the national heart, lung, and blood institute in bethesda, maryland. “the timing of this information is important because the obesity epidemic contributes significantly to the global burden of cardiovascular disease and numerous chronic health conditions that also impact heart disease.”
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