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How to know if you are obese or overweight? 2:14
(CNN) - New research has found that heart attack survivors who carry extra weight around the abdomen are at a higher risk of having another heart attack, another reason why measuring your waist may be more important than stepping on the scale.
It has been known for a while that having a belly, even if you are thin elsewhere, increases the chances of having a first heart attack, but the last study, published Monday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, is the first time researchers They have found a link between belly fat and the risk of a heart attack or subsequent stroke.
The bond was particularly strong in men, the researchers said.
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"Abdominal obesity not only increases the risk of a first heart attack or stroke, but also the risk of recurring events after the first misfortune," said Dr. Hanieh Mohammadi of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, in a press release.
"Maintaining a healthy waist circumference is important to prevent future heart attacks and strokes, regardless of the amount of medications you are taking or how healthy your blood tests are."
The study monitored more than 22,000 Swedish patients after their first heart attack and observed the link between waist circumference and events caused by clogged arteries such as fatal and non-fatal heart attacks and strokes. Patients were followed for almost four years, with 1,232 men (7.3%) and 469 women (7.9%) experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
The majority of patients, 78% of men and 90% of women, had abdominal obesity, defined as a waist circumference of 94 cm or more for men, and 80 cm or more for women.
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The study found that abdominal fat was associated with heart attacks and strokes regardless of other risk factors such as smoking, diabetes, hypertension, body mass index and preventive treatments. The researchers emphasized that waist circumference was a more important marker than general obesity and advised doctors to measure their patients' waistlines to identify people at risk.
However, they said that the link was stronger and more linear in men, which constituted almost three quarters of the patients included in the study, than women.
In women, Mohammadi said the relationship was "U-shaped" rather than linear, which means that the mid-range waist measurement, rather than the narrower one, was less risky. In addition, the mid-range waist measurement was in the range traditionally recognized as at risk of abdominal obesity: more than 80 cm wide.
The reason for this could be due to the type of fat that tends to spend time in the wombs of men and women. Mohammadi said some studies have suggested that men may have more visceral fat that penetrates deep into their body and envelops their vital organs.
This fat can become cholesterol that can begin to build up and harden the arteries, which can ultimately lead to a heart attack or stroke.
"In women it is believed that a larger portion of abdominal fat is made up of subcutaneous fat that is relatively harmless," he said.
However, the lower number of women included in the study meant that the findings had less "statistical power" and more research was needed to draw definitive conclusions, Mohammadi said.
The risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks or strokes is considered higher in those with a waist measurement greater than 94 cm in men and greater than 80 cm in women, according to the World Health Organization. The risk is believed to increase substantially in men with a wider waist at 102 cm and 88 cm in women.
The authors said that the best way to address abdominal fat is with a healthy diet and regular exercise. Previous studies have shown that regular moderate cardiovascular exercise, such as walking for at least 30 minutes a day, can help fight waist widening. Strength training with weights can also help, but detecting exercises such as abdominals that can tighten the abdominals will not touch the visceral fat.
Cardiovascular diseases
