Friday, March 14, 2025
News

Higher fat in muscles leads to increased risk of heart disease: Study

   SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend    Print this Page   COMMENT

Washington DC | January 22, 2025 8:12:27 AM IST
People with pockets of fat hidden inside their muscles are at a higher risk of dying or being hospitalized from a heart attack or heart failure, regardless of their body mass index, according to new research.

This is the first study to comprehensively investigate the effects of fatty muscles on heart disease. The new finding adds evidence that existing measures, such as body mass index or waist circumference, are not adequate to evaluate the risk of heart disease accurately for all people.

The new study was led by Professor Viviany Taqueti, Director of the Cardiac Stress Laboratory at Brigham and Women''s Hospital and Faculty at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA.

She said: "Obesity is now one of the biggest global threats to cardiovascular health, yet body mass index -- our main metric for defining obesity and thresholds for intervention -- remains a controversial and flawed marker of cardiovascular prognosis. This is especially true in women, where high body mass index may reflect more ''benign'' types of fat.

"Intermuscular fat can be found in most muscles in the body, but the amount of fat can vary widely between different people. In our research, we analyse muscle and different types of fat to understand how body composition can influence the small blood vessels or ''microcirculation'' of the heart, as well as future risk of heart failure, heart attack and death."

The new research included 669 people who were being evaluated at the Brigham and Women''s Hospital for chest pain and/or shortness of breath and found to have no evidence of obstructive coronary artery disease.

Patients were followed up for around six years and researchers recorded whether any patients died or were hospitalised for a heart attack or heart failure.

Researchers found that people with higher amounts of fat stored in their muscles were more likely to have damage to the tiny blood vessels that serve the heart (coronary microvascular dysfunction or CMD), and they were more likely to go on to die or be hospitalised for heart disease. (ANI)

 
  LATEST COMMENTS ()
POST YOUR COMMENT
Comments Not Available
 
POST YOUR COMMENT
 
 
TRENDING TOPICS
 
 
CITY NEWS
MORE CITIES
 
 
 
MORE HEALTH NEWS
Increasing contrasts in young people's m...
World Kidney Day 2025: Expert Advice on ...
Microplastic may fuel antibiotic resista...
Scientists found four tiny planets orbit...
Blood test shows promise for early detec...
Good parenting helps, but has limits und...
More...
 
INDIA WORLD ASIA
Indian Coast Guard deploys ships, aircra...
Gujarat: One dead after car collides wit...
'Let's celebrate Holi by pledging enviro...
Manipur: Police recovers arms, explosive...
Manipur: Security forces apprehend suspe...
Manipur Police arrest 1 for involvement ...
More...    
 
 Top Stories
Emily Browning, Lukas Gage, Drake R... 
Zelenskyy accuses Putin of manipula... 
Mumbai-Amravati express collides wi... 
"Sense of confidence across country... 
'Rudrabhishek' performed at Mahakal... 
Yuva All Stars Championship: Palani... 
Telangana tunnel collapse: Rescue o... 
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi extends gr...