Stomach Fat, Harmful to Heart | Beware if you have fat deposits in the abdomen, weight loss despite normal. Because abdominal fat makes your risk of heart disease becomes greater than people who are overweight.
In a recent study, researchers found that people with normal weight but large waist circumference were three times more likely to die from heart disease and two times greater risk of dying from other causes, compared with people of normal weight and waist circumference smaller.
"People with normal weight usually do not feel the need to change their lifestyle to be more healthy. However central obesity or abdominal obesity is not healthy, even in people who are thin," said Dr.Francisco Lopez-Jiminez, a cardiologist from the Mayo Clinic.
There are several reasons why central obesity increases the risk of death, such as increased insulin resistance.
In addition, people who are overweight at the waist usually just the lack of fat in the essentials, such as in the legs and hips. They also tend to have less muscle mass.
For those that include obesity, cardiovascular disease risk is influenced by the distribution of fat involved. According to Lopez-Jiminez, obese people usually have fat in the area of real protective and they had more fat mass.
People who are of normal weight but have fat deposits in the abdomen is recommended to reduce the risk of heart disease by lowering body weight and muscle mass that forms distributed weight.
"How to overcome is; healthy diet and exercise. If both done, in addition to weight loss, muscle mass is also formed," he said.
Results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology congress in Munich, Germany. This initial study involved 12,000 men and women in the United States who took the survey the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The researchers also measured the weight, height, waist circumference, and hip. The researchers also match them with national mortality data.
During the 14 year study period, more than 2,500 people died. Of these, more than 1,000 people died from cardiovascular disease.
Apparently, the risk of death from heart disease 2.75 times higher among those of normal weight but have fat deposits around the waist.
Responding to the results of the study, Dr.Gregg Fonarow, professor of cardiology at the University of California, said that central obesity is excess fat in the abdomen. In this condition, the amount of fat deposits in the abdomen exceed the overall proportion of body fat.
Various studies have shown central obesity increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.
"In some studies, waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio is a better predictor than body mass index," said Fonarow. KOMPAS.com
