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For years, women have been told that weight gain can lead to heart disease. A new study indicates that it is the location of the fat that counts the most, with abdominal fat accounting for the greatest harm and not the overall body mass index (BMI) at the time of treatment. risk assessment for coronary heart disease (CAD). The results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of the North American Menopause Society (NAMS).
Since coronary artery disease remains the leading cause of death worldwide, special attention is paid to its modifiable risk factors. Estrogens protect the cardiovascular system of women before menopause, which partly explains why the incidence of coronary artery disease in premenopausal women is lower than that of men. However, while estrogen levels in women decrease during and after menopause, the incidence of coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women is greater than that of men of the same age.
Obesity has long been recognized as a risk factor for coronary artery disease because it causes among other problems endothelial cell dysfunction, insulin resistance and coronary atherosclerosis. In addition, it often accompanies other cardiovascular risk factors, such as hypertension and diabetes. In the past, it has been suggested that overall obesity (which is often defined by BMI) is a major risk factor. Few studies have attempted to compare the effect of overall obesity with respect to central obesity, which is usually described by waist circumference and / or waist / hip ratio.
The results of this new study of nearly 700 Korean women, however, demonstrated that the presence of obstructive coronary artery disease was significantly higher in women with central obesity. No significant difference was identified on the basis of BMI, indicating that overall obesity was not a risk factor for obstructive coronary heart disease. These findings are particularly relevant for postmenopausal women because menopause causes a change in the distribution of body fat, especially in the abdominal area.
"The results of this study are consistent with what we know about the adverse effects of central obesity.All fats are not identical, and central obesity is particularly dangerous because it is associated with the risk of disease. heart disease, the leading cause of death in women Identifying women with excess abdominal fat, even with normal BMI, is important for implementing lifestyle interventions, "said Dr. Stephanie Faubion , Medical Director of NAMS.
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Material provided by North American Menopause Society (NAMS). Note: Content can be changed for style and length.
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