Subjects with excessive abdominal fat have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer than individuals with a similar body mass index and weight who accumulate fat in other areas of the body, such as the arms or legs, according to a study just published the Journal of the American College of Cardiology . Especially if it is ectopic fat, that is, fat that has come out of adipose tissue to accumulate around the organs of the abdomen, the main arteries or the heart itself. Several previous studies linked abdominal fat to the risk of suffering from diseases, but this is the first to study the exact locations of the fat with cross-sectional images of the inside of the abdomen obtained by computerized tomography.
In the research, based on more than 3,000 patients with an average age of 50 years, the scientists found that, over the course of three years, subjects with abdominal fat suffered more cardiovascular problems, cancers and deaths .
The finding implies that, when assessing the health dangers of being overweight , it is not only necessary to take into account what the scale marks, but above all where the fat deposits are located .
