Lifestyle and some health conditions can increase a person’s risk of developing heart diseases…
Digital Desk: New research has discovered that people with hidden pockets of fat inside their muscles are much more likely to die or be hospitalized from heart disease, regardless of their body mass index. The groundbreaking study, led by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School's Professor Viviany Taqueti, is the first to systematically investigate the impact of fatty muscles on heart health.
The study challenges the current reliance on BMI and waist circumference as primary metrics for assessing heart disease risk. Although obesity is identified as a major global health threat, BMI is often considered a flawed indicator of cardiovascular risk, especially in women, where it may not accurately reflect the dangerous types of fat associated with heart disease.
Intermuscular fat, that is, the accumulation of fat in between muscles, can be very different in one person versus another and greatly influences the microcirculation of the heart—the very small vessels feeding the heart muscle. According to Professor Taqueti, the researchers found that such fat buildup had already injured the tiny vessels and led to coronary microvascular dysfunction, a condition that doubles the risk of a heart attack, heart failure, and death.
The study enrolled 669 patients who were examined for chest pain and shortness of breath in Brigham and Women's Hospital. None of them had obstructive coronary artery disease, and they followed them up on average for six years. Those with higher quantities of fat within their muscles showed a higher rate of developing CMD, which translates to a greater rate of being hospitalized or death due to heart conditions.
This study highlights the necessity of a comprehensive body composition measurement system for better assessment of the risk of cardiovascular disease, taking into account the limitations and pitfalls of BMI as an indicator.
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