Much belly fat is an indication of major health risks

Physicians are studying the effects of the metabolic syndrome
The so-called metabolic syndrome is a cluster of at least three risk factors that include abdominal obesity, high blood pressure and diabetes. These factors are estimated to affect one in three adults in the UK alone. Due to the metabolic syndrome, the health of those affected is badly damaged and sufferers can die from the effects in the worst case. Researchers are now investigating why an accumulation of several factors is so dangerous.

Florida Atlantic University researchers found in their study that the metabolic syndrome leads to high numbers of deaths each year. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology and Therapeutics".

In today's society, people often suffer from overweight and obesity. With increased weight, many negative effects are related to the human body. It is particularly dangerous when several complaints come together in the form of a metabolic syndrome. (Image: SENTELLO / fotolia.com)

Combination of risk factors is particularly dangerous
In the past, physicians repeatedly examined the individual risk factors of the metabolic syndrome. Diabetes, hypertension, and obesity all have a negative impact on our health, but the three effects together are particularly dangerous, the authors warn.

Belly fat a health risk
Belly fat can have a particularly negative impact on human health. As so-called visceral fat, this fat deposits around various organs of the human body such as liver, pancreas and intestine. In the following episode, insulin resistance is often seen, the scientists report.

Waist circumference is an important predictor of metabolic syndrome
The waist circumference is a strong predictor of the metabolic syndrome, even if the so-called body mass index (BMI) is removed from the equation, explains author Professor Dawn Sherling. There are patients with a normal body mass index, which nevertheless have an increased risk. These patients represent an important part of everyday clinical practice when considering the metabolic syndrome, explain the experts.

Obesity is the major factor in the metabolic syndrome
The main factors that accelerate the way to the metabolic syndrome are obesity and obesity, the scientists report. Obesity is slowly overtaking smoking as the leading preventable cause of premature death in the US and worldwide, study author Prof. Sherling explains. For optimal health, the waist should measure less than 101 cm in men and a maximum of around 89 cm in women, the researchers say.

Negative effects of the metabolic syndrome
The metabolic syndrome is, so to speak, a silent killer because it remains largely symptom free, say the experts. For those affected, it was as likely to develop a stroke or heart attack within the next decade, as in people who had previously suffered a heart attack or stroke.

Morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease will increase
As the current generation of American children and adolescents reach middle age, morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease will continue to increase, the researchers report. They emphasize that the therapeutic changes in lifestyle should begin as early as childhood.

Obesity often begins in childhood
The pandemic of obesity, which often affects children, is deeply worrying, say the scientists. Teenagers are now more obese and less physically active than their parents and already have higher rates of type 2 diabetes, experts said.

Mortality rates in the generation of children will surpass that of their parents
It is likely that the current generation of children is the first generation since 1960 that will have higher mortality rates than their parents. This is especially due to heart disease and strokes, the experts explain.

Cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death
The researchers said obesity is a major risk factor for several types of cancer, especially for colon, breast and prostate cancer. Cardiovascular disease will remain the leading cause of premature death in the US, particularly as a result of obesity and physical inactivity, says author Charles H. Hennekens.

Daily walk of twenty minutes can reduce the risk
Unfortunately, most people prefer the prescription of pills to avoid the consequences of their unhealthy lifestyle, the researchers report. Although Belge argues that even a daily walk of 20 minutes or more in most sufferers will allow for a weight loss of at least five percent. This weight loss in turn leads to significantly reduced cardiovascular events and deaths, the authors add. (As)