The American Heart Association has released a scientific statement on the link between obesity and cardiovascular disease. It was published in Circulation.
In the statement, scientists paid special attention to abdominal or abdominal obesity. With it, large amounts of fat are deposited in the abdominal cavity. The easiest diagnostic test to detect it is to measure the circumference of the waist. The authors of the scientific paper emphasize that abdominal obesity may not be accompanied by «normal obesity». In people with a weight that is considered normal, it is an important indicator of the risk of cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome and death.
Obesity is diagnosed by determining the body mass index (BMI). To do this, the weight in kilograms is divided by the square of the height in meters. A BMI over 30 indicates obesity.
The criteria for abdominal obesity is a waist circumference of more than 88 centimeters for women and more than 102 centimeters for men.
Experts recommend that physicians assess both BMI and waist circumference when working with patients.
«Research that has looked at the relationship between abdominal fat and cardiovascular outcomes confirms that visceral fat is a definite health hazard,» said Tiffany M. Powell-Wiley, chair of the Science Statement Committee. , head of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's Social Determinants of Obesity and Cardiovascular Risk Laboratory.
Tackling obesity in old age: not so easy
The issues of combating excess weight in old age remain the subject of discussions, often not falling into the field of view of the media and articles on the topic of health due to the non-obviousness of the problem. After all, what could be wrong with losing weight? However, after the age of 65, it carries certain risks that cannot be ignored. Let's find out.
Read article
The statement says that people with abdominal obesity may have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people with a high BMI but little fat around the internal organs, visceral (visceral) fat. This condition is often referred to as metabolically healthy obesity.
Another type of visceral fat that is dangerous to the heart is epicardial, it is located between the myocardium and the outer shell of the heart. This fat can be detected only with an additional examination. It is associated with worse prognosis in cardiovascular disease. Epicardial fat is usually found in people with large waist circumference.
WHO: physical activity reduces risk of death from a sedentary lifestyle
World Health Organization releases guidance on physical activity against a sedentary lifestyle.
Read article
Scientific statement says that exercise helps fight visceral fat. Scientists point out that in studies, the number decreased after 12-52 weeks of exercising five times a week. Both intensive and moderate exercises were effective. Even regular walking helps to get rid of a small amount of internal fat. Evidence also suggests that exercise, which includes the recommendations of the World Health Organization for physical activity (150-300 minutes per week), may be sufficient in the fight against visceral obesity.