Location, Location, Location
In real estate, it’s not the size of the house that matters, but the neighborhood or community where the property sits. Similar to fat, and in terms of disease, it’s not your size that matters, but where you house your fat.
An article by Anna Kuchment from the Dallas Morning News states, “fat has a secret life.” In fact recent studies have shown “that fat is alive and can communicate with the heart and influence the organs around it.”
‘By producing chemicals that regulate hunger, some fat is the cause of heart disease and diabetes.’
Other kinds of fat can be protective, ‘acting like a sponge and soaking up excess fat so it doesn’t build up in more dangerous places like the heart and liver.’
I think by now we have all received the memo on body types and how it effects your risk of heart-attack and stroke. For instance, pear-shaped people—‘Beyoncé types with slim waists and fuller hips and thighs—have a lower than average risk of heart attack and stroke.’ While apple-shaped folks, like actor John Goodman, ‘who store fat in their bellies have a higher-than-average risk.’
New research, however, reveals that, although the apple shaped individuals were at higher risk of disease, not all these types can be treated equally.
“In results presented last fall at the American Heart Association’s annual meeting in Dallas, Dr. Ian Neeland, a fellow in cardiovascular medicine at Southwestern, and his colleagues reported that an apple-shaped body can be caused by two different kinds of fat.”
The studies of obese Texas residents revealed that ‘individuals that stored fat just beneath the skin—or subcutaneous fat—we’re not at increased risk for heart disease no matter how fat or wide their waistline.’ Also, people that stored most of this “surface” fat in hips, buttocks or thighs actually had a decreased risk of heart disease.
Visceral fat, however, goes much deeper coating internal organs. ‘Patients with high levels of visceral fat were much more likely to develop heart disease, including heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and an irregular heartbeat known as atrial fibrillation.’
So, you may be asking yourself—how would I know what kind of fat I am storing? Unfortunately, it’s virtually impossible to measure visceral fat without an MRI machine or other high-tech scanning tools. The old BMI, body mass index, will give you your fat percentage—but can’t be used to determine the type of fat you are carrying.
But after following thousands of Dallas County residents, Neeland’s research revealed that a simple cholesterol test showed that ‘those who have high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high triglycerides—tend to have more visceral fat.’
These findings are among many that are turning the understanding of obesity on its head.
What will you do with the information?
First, take a look in the mirror. If you are carrying most of your fat below the waist, it is likely you are not at risk for heart disease related to obesity. Conversely, if your fat is at waist level and above, make an appointment with your doctor.
Get a standard cholesterol test and discuss the results with your physician. If the results reveal elevated blood sugar and triglyceride levels, it may be time to make some lifestyle changes. It is likely you already knew you were in trouble—but just needed a wake up call.
If you want to live a long, healthy life—listen to you doctors orders. Follow their instructions about eating well and exercising. After about four months of working to fix the damage, retest your cholesterol and reevaluate your diet and exercise regime with the help of your physician.
Don’t be a statistic! Fat may not be created equal but the results of eating right and exercising do not discriminate.
For questions or comments email: suzannemcginnis@me.com