A new study published in the European Heart Journal has linked the fat wrapped around your internal organs, known as visceral fat, to faster heart aging.
The study used data from over 21,000 participants in the UK Biobank. Each participant had multiple images of their heart and veins taken. These images were used in a machine learning algorithm to predict each participant’s cardiovascular age. Additionally, each participant had a whole-body MRI taken to determine their body fat percentage and the distribution of their body fat. Obesity has been linked to faster aging, but it is unclear how the distribution of body fat may affect aging, particularly of the heart and vascular system.
The results showed that faster cardiovascular aging was associated with having more visceral fat. Visceral fat is found deep within the abdomen surrounding organs such as the stomach and liver. Visceral fat can’t be seen from the outside, and it is possible to be at a healthy weight while having large amounts of visceral fat. Visceral fat is associated with increased inflammation, which may partially explain why it is also linked to faster heart aging. The results of the study further showed that fat around the belly was strongly linked to early aging in men, while fat accumulation on the hips and thighs was linked to slower heart aging in women.
The authors noted that their results highlight how fat distribution, and particularly distributions such as apple and pear body shapes, may play an important role in health outcomes. The results of this study further show how BMI may not be a good predictor of health outcomes, especially regarding heart aging. A woman with fat distributed mainly on the hips and thighs may have a far better heart age than a woman with the same BMI but with fat distributed mainly in the abdomen.
Sources: European Heart Journal, Science Daily
