A person can weigh within a healthy range and still face significant heart disease risk if they carry excess fat around their midsection, new research suggests.
Scientists comparing different measures of body composition found that abdominal fat posed a stronger threat to heart health than overall body mass index alone. The discovery has particular implications for people who appear trim by traditional standards but store weight in their core.
The mechanism behind this finding centers on inflammation. Belly fat—particularly the deep visceral fat that surrounds organs—triggers inflammatory processes in the body at higher rates than fat stored elsewhere. That inflammatory response creates conditions favorable to heart failure development.
Traditional weight assessment relies primarily on BMI, a calculation based on height and weight that does not distinguish between muscle, bone, and fat distribution. A person with normal BMI might nonetheless harbor dangerous abdominal fat, masking their actual cardiovascular vulnerability.
The research suggests a simpler screening approach: measuring waist circumference. This straightforward measurement could catch people at risk earlier than standard health checkups that focus only on BMI and overall weight.
For those concerned about heart health, the finding reinforces that fitness is not purely about numbers on a scale. Even individuals within recommended weight ranges should consider their body composition and where they tend to gain weight. A person's waist measurement may offer a more telling picture of their heart disease risk than their BMI.
The study adds to growing evidence that how weight is distributed matters as much as how much a person weighs, particularly when it comes to cardiovascular health.
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