If you
have developed a spare tyre, it is time you saw a doctor to assess your
cardiovascular health as researchers have found that belly fat, even in people
who are not otherwise overweight, is bad for the heart.
"People
with a normal weight but a fat belly have more chance of heart problems than
people without a fat belly, even if they are obese according to BMI (body mass
index)," said study author Jose Medina-Inojosa from the Mayo Clinic in
Minnesota, US.
"This
body shape indicates a sedentary lifestyle, low muscle mass, and eating too
many refined carbohydrates," Medina-Inojosa said.
BMI,
which is weight relative to height in kg/metre square, is used to categorise
adults as underweight, normal weight, overweight or obese. However, BMI does
not account for the amount and distribution of fat and muscle.
Central
obesity is a store of excess fat around the middle of the body and is a marker
of abnormal fat distribution.
This
study tested the hypothesis that people with normal weight and central obesity
would have more heart problems than people with normal weight and normal fat
distribution.
From
1997 to 2000, the study enrolled nearly 1,700 people aged 45 years or older in
the US.
Participants
underwent a clinical examination and measurements were taken of weight, height,
waist circumference and hip circumference.
Patients
were followed-up from 2000 to 2016 for the occurrence of major adverse
cardiovascular events such as as heart attack, stroke, and death from
cardiovascular causes.
Participants
with a normal BMI (18.5-24.9 kg/metre square) and central obesity had an
approximately two-fold higher long-term risk of heart problems compared to
participants without central obesity, regardless of their BMI, the study said.
"If
you have fat around your belly and it's greater than the size of your hips,
visit your doctor to assess your cardiovascular health and fat distribution. If
you have central obesity the target will be waist loss rather than weight
loss," Medina-Inojosa said.
"Exercise
more, decrease sedentary time by taking the stairs or getting off the train one
stop early and walking, increase your muscle mass with strength and resistance
training, and cut out refined carbohydrates," he added.
