Where Body Fat is Located Influences CVD Risk

Increases in volume and decreases in density of stomach fat raise the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to a new study.

Although it is well known that subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) are associated with an increased risk of CVD, few studies have evaluated how the volume and density of stomach fat affect cardiovascular risk factors.

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To conduct their study, the researchers examined the computed tomography scans of stomach fat of 1106 participants in the Framingham Heart Study Third Generation cohort.

The researchers assessed the change in volume and density, measured in Hounsfield units (HU), of abdominal fat over an average of 6 years.

After analyzing the scans, the researchers found that the mean fat volume change in SAT was an increase of 1.33 pounds and in VAT was an increase of 1.55 pounds. The mean density change in SAT was a decrease of 5.5 HU and in VAT was a decrease of 0.07 HU.

Increases in the amount of fat and decreases in density were associated with an increased risk of CVD.

Also, each pound of fat gained throughout the study was associated with increased risk of incident hypertension, hypertriglyceridemia, and metabolic syndrome.

“Increasing accumulation of fat quantity and decreasing fat attenuation are associated with worsening of CVD risk factors beyond the associations with generalized adiposity, central adiposity, or respective adipose tissue volumes,” the researchers concluded.

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:

Lee JJ, Pedley A, Hoffmann U, Massaro JM, Fox CS. Association of changes in abdominal fat quantity with incident cardiovascular disease risk factors. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2016;68(14):1509-1521. doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2016.06.067.