Home / Health / Abdominal Fat Linked to Early Heart Damage
Abdominal Fat Linked to Early Heart Damage
2 Dec
Summary
- Abdominal fat, not overall weight, shows signs of early heart damage.
- Men with higher waist-to-hip ratios had thicker heart muscles.
- Waist-to-hip ratio is a better indicator of heart risk than BMI.
Excessive abdominal fat poses a significant threat to heart health, according to recent German research. Scientists discovered that men with fat deposits around their abdomen, even without being overweight overall, displayed clear signs of early heart damage. This study utilized cardiac MRI scans to compare the effects of abdominal fat versus general body fat on the heart.
The findings suggest that abdominal obesity, measured by waist-to-hip ratio, is more strongly linked to unhealthy cardiac remodeling than a high BMI alone. Participants with higher ratios showed thicker heart muscles and smaller chamber volumes, indicating the heart must work harder to pump blood. This condition, known as pathological cardiac remodeling, can progress to heart failure.
While the effects were also noted in women, the impact was more pronounced in men, who tend to store abdominal fat more readily. These revelations underscore the importance of waist circumference as a predictor of cardiovascular risk, suggesting that BMI alone may not fully capture an individual's heart health status.
