Having A Pot Belly Increases The Risk Of Heart Disease And Cancer More Than 'Bingo Wings' Or Being Generally Overweight

Having a pot belly increases your risk of heart disease and cancer more than 'bingo wings' or being generally overweight, say scientists.

A 'spare tyre' - a typical indicator of fat around the organs - has been shown to be particularly dangerous because it's packed with 'bad fat'.

U.S. researchers looked at over 3,000 people for up to seven years and found those with abnormal stomach fat were more likely to suffer the illnesses after accounting for clinical risk factors and general obesity.

Having a pot belly increases your risk of heart disease and cancer more than 'bingo wings' or being generally overweight

The study, published online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, backs up previous research that excess stomach fat is more dangerous than fat elsewhere on the body.[

People with too many pounds around the midriff have a greater risk of heart disease and cancer than those with a similar BMI (body mass index) who carry their fat in other areas of the body, said the researchers.

Mortality rates and disease risk associated with excess body weight can vary among individuals with similar BMI.

It's believed ectopic fat located where it's not supposed to be - in this case being visible in the abdominal area - could be the cause of this difference in risk.

It's widely known abdominal fat can be more dangerous than fat in other areas but the latest study is the first to use CT scans to study specifically located fat depots for direct associations with disease risk.

A 'spare tyre' - a typical indicator of fat around the organs - has been shown to be particularly dangerous because it's packed with 'bad fat'

The study authors, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Laboratory for Metabolic and Population Health in Framingham, Massachusetts, sought a link between the location of body fat and specific risk factors for heart disease and cancer which could explain why individuals with similar BMIs have varied obesity related health conditions.

They assessed fat in the stomach area, around the heart tissue, and around the aortic artery, in 3,086 participants from the Framingham Heart Study whose average age was 50

Each patient was assessed using a CT scan to identify areas of fat accumulation. Over the follow-up period they were assessed for heart disease, cancer and death risk while adjusting for standard risk factors.

Overall there were 90 cardiovascular events such as heart attacks or strokes, 141 cancer cases and 71 deaths.

Fat packed around the organs in the abdomen is more dangerous than fat on the hips because it's 'metabolically active' - releasing more of the inflammatory, toxic chemicals that raise the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Many experts now want waist circumference or waist-to-hip ratio - which indicates levels of abdominal fat - adopted as a more accurate guide than BMI which relates weight to height.

Study author Dr Caroline Fox said: ‘Contrary to previously published studies comparing BMI and waist circumference, the presence of abdominal fat improved the ability to predict for cardiovascular disease, supporting the hypothesis abdominal fat may partially underlie the association of body fat and heart disease and cancer.’

Her co-author Dr Kathryn Britton, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, said: ‘Given the worldwide obesity epidemic identification of high-risk individuals is important as it allows targeting of preventive and therapeutic measures.’

Source :   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2359489/How-having-pot-belly-increases-risk-heart-disease-cancer-bingo-wings-generally-overweight.html#ixzz2YlJRcFk9