The largest of its kind, has been found that people with coronary artery disease who have even a modest beer belly or top muffin are more at risk of death for people whose fat collects in other locations. The effect was observed even in patients with a normal BMI (BMI). This analysis of the clinical results was published in the May 10 Edition, the magazine of the American College of Cardiology.
Researchers analyzed data from 15,923 people with CHD in five studies across the world. They found that those who have coronary heart disease and Central obesity, measured by the ratio of the circumference and hip size size, have twice the risk of death. It is equivalent to the risk of smoking a pack of cigarettes a day and have a very high cholesterol levels, especially for men.
Results refute the paradox of obesity, a perplexing finding in many studies showing that a higher BMI and chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease patients have better chances of survival than people of normal weight.
Coutinho, MD, author "suspected the paradox of obesity was going on because the BMI is not a good measure of body fat and gives no information on the distribution of fat," said Thai major Studio and member of the clinic of Cardiology in May. "BMI is only a measure of weight in proportion to height".What appears to be the most important, this is how distributed the fat in the body.
Francisco Lopes Jimenez, MD, research project principal and Director of the cardiometabolic program at the clinic for may, explains why this type of fat may be more damaging: "visceral fat has proven to be more active metabolism." It produces changes more cholesterol, blood pressure and sugar in the blood. "However, people who are mainly elsewhere in fat in the body, specifically, the legs and buttocks, do not show this risk."
The researchers argue that physicians should inform patients of coronary artery disease who have a normal BMI to lose weight if you have a high waist circumference or size high-ratio hip. The measure is very easy to use, Dr. Coutinho, said: "enough is a minute for a doctor with a tape measure to measure the perimeter of the size and the hip of the patient."
Research topics have varied from studies in the United States (Rochester, Minnesota, and San Francisco, California), Denmark, France and Korea. The inclusion of the various ethnic groups makes the more applicable to the study of the real world, said Dr. Coutinho.
(Source: Mayo Clinic: Journal of the American College of Cardiology)