Belly fat increases risks of arterial hardening

Dangerous belly fat: Damage to arteries already in middle age

03/26/2015

Fat, which is lodged between the organs in the stomach, can damage the vessels already in middle age. As a result, arterial hardening (atherosclerosis) develops, which is associated with stroke, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death and other cardiovascular diseases. However, an Austro-American study shows that you can protect yourself. Already in childhood should be started with the prevention of the dangerous belly fat.

Prevention of belly fat should begin in childhood
From the age of 25, the increase in abdominal fat begins, which can increase in the course of up to 300 percent. According to the study, this would be a major health hazard. That's why „Barbara Prüller-Strasser from the Institute of Nutrition Science and Physiology at the UMIT (Private University for Health Sciences, Medical Informatics and Technology) explains to the news agency in early adulthood, and even better in childhood, effective strategies of primary and secondary prevention " „APA“. In this way, the frequency of obesity can be reduced.

Better physical fitness helps to reduce body fat in general and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease such as atherosclerosis, the study said. According to Prüller-Strasser, people who regularly practice weight training are less at risk. Even in the healthy study participants without cardiovascular complaints significantly less fat deposits and a significantly lower rigidity of the vessels were observed by the change in their lifestyle than in people with increased cardiovascular risk.

Belly fat favors atherosclerosis
In atherosclerosis, blood fats, thrombi, connective tissue and, to a lesser extent, lime are deposited in the vessel walls, so that bottlenecks and occlusions can form on the affected vessel sections. The vessel wall can also be so severely damaged that it expands and an aneurysm arises.

„The body mass index is usually used as a measure of obesity or obesity, but the BMI does not differentiate between fat and muscle mass, "says Prüller-Strasser, adding that the size of the waist is considered a better indicator in young adulthood.