Presence of a convex abdomen is dangerous for heart health even in the absence of excess weight, warn US scientists. According to the data received, people who have a waist size larger than the thigh size may be twice as likely to develop a heart attack and stroke and should immediately seek medical attention.

Doctors have long maintained that the obesity epidemic significantly reduces life expectancy, but a new study shows that people do not even need to be overweight in the presence of a large stomach to be at risk of premature death.

Fat, which collects in the abdomen, tends to be a more dangerous kind of fat and is called visceral. Visceral fat is located deep in the abdominal tissue next to vital organs, where it releases disruptive compounds such as free fatty acids that can negatively affect liver function. This, in turn, increases blood pressure and the level of "bad" cholesterol, as well as resistance to insulin, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Together, all this increases the risk of early death.

During the tests, experts tested the hypothesis that people with normal weight and central obesity will have more heart problems than people with normal weight and normal fat distribution. The study involved 1692 people aged 45 years and over. Central obesity was defined as the ratio of the waist circumference to the hip circumference 0.90 or higher for men and 0.85 or higher for women. It was found that participants with a normal body mass index and central obesity had approximately twice the risk of developing dangerous cardiac events compared to participants without central obesity.

Source: News Yu.

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