Heart attacks caused by obesity, not body shape

The previous understanding that people carrying excess fatOne of the three main food constituents (with carbohydrate and protein), and the main form in which energy is stored in the body. around their waist, typically known as ‘apple shape’, are at a greater risk of a heart attackThe death of a section of heart muscle caused by an interruption in its blood supply. Also called a myocardial infarction. than those who carry fat elsewhere on the body, is being challenged. 

Earlier research had claimed that those who were obese and carrying the weight centrally had a three times greater risk of a heart attack than people with general obesityExcess accumulation of fat in the body. (weight spread throughout their body).  

However this is challenged by a study published in the Lancet, which was conducted by the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (a consortium of 200 scientists from 17 countries led from the University of Cambridge, UK). The international study involved over 220,000 adults, each monitored for almost a decade, of which 14,000 developed a heart attack or strokeAny sudden neurological problem caused by a bleed or a clot in a blood vessel. during the monitoring period. The research identifies that body mass indexA measure of whether a person’s weight is normal, too high or too low. It is calculated by dividing their weight in kilograms by the square of their height in metres. (BMI), waist circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio each had a similar impact on the risk of subsequent heart attack and strokes.  A further finding was that BMI, waist circumference and waist-to-hip ratio, whether assessed individually or in combination, do not improve the risk prediction of cardiovascular diseaseDisease of the heart and blood vessels, usually due to atherosclerosis. for peopled in developed countries when additional information is available for blood pressureThe pressure of blood within the arteries., history of diabetesA disorder caused by insufficient or absent production of the hormone insulin by the pancreas, or because the tissues are resistant to the effects., and lipidsA general term for fats and oils that are an important energy source..  

According to Professor Holgate of the Medical Research Council, he reiterates the point that the main worry with obesity is that it leads to other illnesses. Around 60% of type 2 diabetes and 20% of heart disease cases are attributed to excess body fat. The number of UK adults who are obese has risen by 50% in the past decade, with the worrying issue that obesity in children continues to grow at an alarming rate.