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Fat on the stomach associated with a repeated heart attack

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Swedish scientists have found that the risk of having a heart attack or another manifestation of atherosclerosis of the heart and blood vessels is higher in people with a larger volume of abdomen. To do this, for several years they followed more than 20 thousand patients in hospitals in the country. Thus, physique must be taken into account when assessing the risks of re-manifestation of heart and vascular disease, scientists write in the journal European Journal of Preventive Medicine.

A large accumulation of fat in the abdomen is one of the most striking signs of metabolic syndrome – a condition that is associated with the development of diabetes, as well as heart and vascular diseases. Obesity, in addition, is an independent factor in the development of cardiovascular diseases, therefore, the body mass index and the amount of fat in the abdomen are always taken into account when assessing risks, for example, myocardial infarction.

At the same time, it is not clear how fat accumulation in the abdomen is related and whether the manifestation of cardiovascular disease will recur. Scientists led by Hannieh Mohammadi from Carolina University Hospital decided to study this issue in more detail. To do this, they studied data on 22882 patients who survived myocardial infarction once from 2005 to 2014.

Patients were divided into five groups depending on the deviation from the average waist coverage in the sample: 101.3 centimeters for men and 94.1 centimeters for women. According to WHO estimates, the risk of developing cardiovascular disease begins to increase at a waist of 94 to 102 centimeters in men and from 80 to 88 centimeters in women: the total in the sample was 31.6 percent of men and 19.8 percent of women with such a waist. Moreover, the indicator in 46.1 percent of men and 67.9 percent of women in the sample was significantly higher than the critical threshold noted by WHO.

For several years, patients were observed for a recurrent heart attack (myocardial infarction and coronary heart disease) or ischemic stroke – all this is considered a manifestation of atherosclerosis of the heart and blood vessels. In total, during the observation period (on average – 3.8 years for each patient), repeated cases of disease manifestations were recorded in 1232 men and 469 women. The risk of recurring heart attack or ischemic stroke was 21 percent higher in patients with the highest amount of belly fat – taking into account all possible side variables like smoking and alcohol consumption.

The authors of the work insist that the amount of fat on the abdomen should be taken into account when assessing the risk of re-manifestation of atherosclerosis of the heart and blood vessels and a possible heart attack or stroke.

Those who want to get rid of belly fat and, accordingly, protect themselves from diseases of the heart and blood vessels, are advised to adhere to proper nutrition and regular physical activity. The effectiveness of the latter increases the peptide interleukin 6, which in the human body is responsible for metabolism: if you block its work, then no workout will lose weight.

Elizabeth Ivtushok


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