Heart Fat Linked to Race, Type of Weight Gain

November 1st, 2017

A woman’s race and weight gain pattern could provide clues about her likelihood of having more fat around the heart, a potential risk factor for heart disease, according to new research led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. The findings, published in the journal Menopause, show that black women who put on fat around their midsection during midlife are more likely to accumulate fat around their hearts, whereas white women’s risk of fat around the heart is higher when they add weight all over the body. Fat close to the heart is particularly dangerous because it releases inflammatory substances that can damage heart tissue. Senior author Samar El Khoudary, PhD, MPH, and her team evaluated clinical data, such as CT scans and blood pressure, on 524 menopausal women from Pittsburgh and Chicago enrolled in the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN). “Excess fat around the heart, in both men and women, is an evolving risk factor for heart disease. But how can clinicians see it at a regular physical? They can’t without a special heart scan,” said Dr. Khoudary. “This study, coupled with our previous study in men, gives doctors another tool to evaluate their patients and get a better sense of their heart disease risk. It also may lead to suggestions for lifestyle modifications to help patients lessen that risk.” El Khoudary says that further study is needed and hopes the findings may lead to better interventions that allow patients to lower their risk.

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