New research found that those carrying more hidden fat in and around their muscles were at higher risk of dying from or being hospitalised for heart disease, according to research published in the European Heart Journal. This association remains significant, regardless of body mass index (BMI). The findings of the study highlight the weaknesses of BMI as a marker for heart health and suggest that muscle fat may play a significant role in cardiovascular disease risk. As pointed out by the researchers, further studies must be carried out, as they open doors for deeper investigation about factors influencing risk from heart diseases, therefore finding out effective strategies of prevention.
According to a release by the European Society of Cardiology, this ‘intermuscular’ fat is highly prized in beef steaks for cooking. However, little is known about this type of body fat in humans and its impact on health. 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 the 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 (where the arteries that supply the heart are becoming dangerously clogged). These patients had an average age of 63. The majority (70%) were female, and almost half (46%) were non-white.
