Male Visceral Fat Leading to Cardiac Conditions

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"Males tend to suffer from obesity at a younger age than females due to the protective effect of  estrogen on the female metabolism. Males generally tend to be more obese and tend to have more visceral obesity, which is sometimes described as 'beer belly'."

"The effect of obesity on the heart has been studied previously also in population-based studies."

"Most studies predominately classified obesity according to BMI [body mass index] and they found that a high BMI is associated with cardiac dilatation."

"Fewer studies investigated 'visceral' obesity according to WHR [waist-to-hip ratio], and some did not find a different effect of visceral obesity compared to general obesity."

"Moreover, many studies used echocardiography [ultrasound test that checks the heart's structure and function] to investigate how obesity impacts the heart's anatomy, which is broadly available but does not allow for further tissue characterization."

Dr. Jennifer Erley, radiology resident, University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany

 

Men with higher waist-to-hip ratios showed early signs of heart damage even when their overall weight wasn’t very high. (iStock)

New  research now points to belly fat as being particularly problematic in the potential danger it poses to the male cardiac system. Abdominal obesity -- recognized as an unhealthy hip-to-waist ratio -- has been found to be associated with worrying patterns of 'cardiac remodelling' overturning the  assumption that overall weight alone is the culprit. This was discovered by researchers studying advanced cardiovascular MRI [magnetic resonance imaging] scans of 2,244  adults between the ages of 46 to 78 with no known heart disease.

 

According to the authors of the paper published in research presented at the annual meeting held in Chicago of the Radiological Society of North America, these findings "highlight the need for personalized risk assessment in obesity-related cardiovascular disease". An estimated 3 billion people worldwide are overweight or obese. This is an epidemic that significantly contributes to many other chronic health conditions such as high cholesterol levels, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and sleep disorders, and places them at  higher risk of coronary artery disease and death from cardiovascular issues.

 

According to Statistics Canada, Canadians are experiencing "high and growing levels" of fat stored around the waist and stomach. Nearly half (49 percent) of adults in Canada aged 18 to 29 had a waist circumference greater than the threshold for abdominal obesity. In other words, higher than 102 centimetres for males and 88 cm for females.  

 

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"Similar to previous studies we found a high BMI is associated with bigger heart chambers, indicated by increased cardiac volumes [the amount of blood the heart holds and pumps] and an accompanying hypertrophy [thickening of the heart muscle]."

"Abdominal or visceral obesity, on the other  hand, was associated with a proportionally greater hypertrophy but smaller heart chambers."

"This form of remodelling where the heart muscle thickens but does not enlarge, is called 'concentric remodelling' and we know from previous studies that this form of remodelling is prone to lead to heart failure."

Dr. Jennifer Erley 

 

Up to three hours collectively of weekly physical activity is deemed to be sufficient to enable abdominal fat reduction. Physical exercise connected with dietary changes in some instances help to reduce abdominal obesity, even without achieving overall weight loss. Lifestyle changes leading to weight loss helps to improve blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels; factors referred to as metabolic syndrome. Inflammation is reduced, blood vessel function is improved and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is eased.

Obesity may account for a fifth of all cases of atrial fibrillation -- quivering or irregular heartbeat. Each of the research subjects were measured for the size, thickness and volume of the heart's chambers through high-resolution MRI scans. Detailed health information, including weight, blood pressure, cholesterol, smoking status, and any history of diabetes was collected for all participants. The research conclusions led to clarification of the conundrum that some people with normal or moderately elevated BMI develop heart disease and others whose weight is considerably greater may not 

"The male heart is exposed to the effects of obesity longer than the female heart."

"The sex-specific differences suggest that male patients may be more vulnerable to the structural effects of obesity on the heart, a finding not widely reported in earlier studies."

"Rather than focusing on reducing overall weight, middle-aged adults should focus on preventing abdominal fat accumulation through regular exercise, a balanced diet and timely medical intervention, if necessary." 

"Nowadays, we have a broad variety of therapeutic strategies to tackle visceral obesity and it's important to address obesity as a 'pathology', just like arterial hypertension and diabetes."

"Patients and clinicians should  take obesity [particularly the accumulation of abdominal fat] just as seriously as those other pathologies."

Dr. Jennifer Erley

 

Cardiac MRI scans revealed thicker heart walls and smaller chamber volume in people with excess belly fat. (iStock)

 

Stalling the Aging Process and Dementia Onset

"We say what's good for the heart is good for the brain, so a nice balanced ... nutritious diet with ... those leafy greens, low in saturated fats, all of those things."

"I think that's really the next stage of the research is, how do we make this scalable in communities so that people can implement these things into their daily lives?"

"If [you're] frustrated by it, [you're] just going to give  up. But do something that you enjoy. Better yet, do it with somebody else or others around you because socialization is key, and lastly, something that you can adhere to, if you can schedule it. It's something that you can stay committed to." 

"[They/doctors] should be treating lifestyle intervention as they would a drug. That would mean prescribing improved exercise and eating regimens and getting insurers to cover those prescriptions."

Jessica Langbaum, senior director of research strategy, Banner Alzheimer' Institute, Phoenix, Arizona 

Illustration of dementia as memory loss due to brain degeneration and decline. Photo by wildpixel /Getty Images

 

 According to the Alzheimer's Society of Canada, by 2050, over 1.7 million Canadians are potentially likely, analyzing statistics, to be living with dementia, representing an increase of 187 percent, in comparison to 2020 when 597,000 people were documented to be living with the disease that slowly strips the brain of its mental resources, in the presence of the brain disease that commonly is the cause of dementia.

 

According to researchers, certain lifestyle changes can help to delay and even stop that mental decline. Alzheimer's researchers -- in referring to a new US. study that  focuses on what researchers into Alzheimer's now call the strongest evidence yet respecting what is involved in slowing the aging process and improving cognition -- linked that delay leading to dementia, to lifestyle changes. 

 

Three key factors have been illuminated; a diet heavy on leafy greens, berries and grains; regular moderate exercise; and ongoing social interaction. Another factor is regularly timely cardiovascular monitoring. Not directly involved in the study, Jessica Langbaum nonetheless presented the findings at an annual conference of experts who convened on Wednesday in Toronto.

 

As the largest international meeting dedicated to advancing dementia science and clinical practice,the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) attracted 8,000 scientists and clinicians from all over the world, with the collective goal of improving diagnosis, risk reduction and treatment. Diet, exercise and socialization were pulled together in one substantial, structured study of 2,300 people in their '60s and '70s at risk of developing dementia. 

 

The study showed that bad habits "can really slow down memory and thinking" in adults at risk for cognitive impairment and dementia. The participants in the study changed their habits, from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one, improving their diet over a two-year period which resulted in cognitive function scores on par with people one or two years younger.

 

According to Ms. Langbaum, the results are significant evidence that change can occur without medication. "And so, it's showing that we can change the trajectory of aging", she said. Of the two groups involved in the study, in one, lifestyle changes were structurally presented. In the other, changes were self-directed. The results for the prescribed group were better, but both groups were shown to result in improvement. The largest challenge was sustaining a new exercise regimen for the study participants. 

 

Close to US$50 million was spent on the study by the American Alzheimer's Association. Even more was spent by the National Institutes of Health, to ensure that many of the participants underwent brain scans, blood tests and sleep studies aimed at providing additional information down the road.                                                                                              To begin implementing the lessons of the study, the American Alzheimer's Association plans to spend another US$40 million.