According to a new study, the area of the body where the fat is found is more important for coronary heart disease than the total BMI, especially in women. Thus, those suffering from abdominal obesity are more at risk than those suffering from so-called classic obesity.
Coronary heart disease or atherosclerosis, which is characterized by hardening of the arteries, is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases. In the worst case, it can lead to a heart attack. Among the many risk factors is obesity. Indeed, excess fat causes, among other things, dysfunction of endothelial cells, insulin resistance and coronary atherosclerosis. It is also often accompanied by other cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes.
However, according to a new study published this Wednesday, August 28 in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS), in women, in terms of risk factor, it is the location of the fat that matters most, not the total BMI. Women suffering from abdominal obesity would thus be more at risk of developing coronary heart disease than others.
Menopause causes a change in fat distribution
In the past, few studies have tried to compare the effects of “classic” obesity with those of central obesity. These results are especially important for women after menopause because the latter causes a change in the distribution of body fat, especially in the abdominal region.
Moreover, before menopause, estrogen protects the cardiovascular system of women. This is probably why premenopausal women have less coronary heart disease than men. However, as these levels decline during and after menopause, the incidence of these afflictions in women begins to surpass those in men of the same age.
“Not all fats are the same”
To carry out their study, the researchers followed nearly 700 Korean women. They were thus able to observe that those suffering from abdominal obesity had more coronary heart disease than the others. No significant difference was based on BMI, meaning total obesity was not a risk factor for these diseases, the scientists note.
“The results of this study are consistent with what we know about the harmful effects of central obesity. Not all fats are created equal, and central obesity is particularly dangerous because it is associated with risk of heart disease, leading cause of death in women. It is important to identify women with excess abdominal fat, even with a normal BMI, so that lifestyle interventions can be implemented,” concludes Dr. Stephanie Faubion , Medical Director of NAMS.
First cause of death in the world
Thus, if obesity is calculated with BMI (people with a BMI ≥ 30 are affected), this does not in any way determine central obesity. To measure the amount of abdominal adipose tissue, the easiest way is to measure your waistline with a tape measure. According to the International Diabetes Federation, a waist circumference greater than 94 cm in men and 80 cm in women is symptomatic of this disease. To verify the diagnosis more precisely, you must go to the doctor to check your blood pressure and perform a complete lipid profile. In case of abdominal obesity, triglycerides and blood sugar will be elevated.
According to WHO, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, most often from heart attack or stroke. In France, they are the cause of approximately 140,000 deaths per year, which makes them the second leading cause of death just after cancer. In detail, at the same age, the mortality rate for men is higher than that for women: 300 against 190 per 100,000 people in 2010, according to the Ministry of Health.
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