Acceleration of increase in abdominal fat during menopause associated with risk of heart disease

Pittsburgh, March 3, 2021-A study led by the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health shows that women with accelerated abdominal fat accumulation during menopause are at increased risk of heart disease, even if their weight is stable.journal menopause..

Based on quarter-century data collected on hundreds of women, measuring waist circumference during preventive care appointments for middle-aged women has a widely used body mass index (BMI). It suggests that it may be an early indicator of excess heart disease risk-this is a weight and height calculation.

“We need to change our mindset about the risk of heart disease, especially in women who are approaching menopause and entering menopause,” said Dr. Samar El Khoudary (MPH), senior author of Epidemiology at Pit Public Health. “Our research is increasingly showing that how much fat a woman carries is less important. Doctors usually say that this is where women carry that fat. Measure using body weight and BMI. “

El Khoudary and her colleagues examined data on 362 women from Pittsburgh and Chicago who participated in the National Women’s Health Study (SWAN) Heart Study. A woman with an average age of 51 years measured visceral adipose tissue (fat surrounding abdominal organs) with a CT scan and ultrasonically measured the thickness of the internal carotid artery in the neck. the study. Carotid artery thickness is an early indicator of heart disease.

The team found that for every 20% increase in abdominal fat, the thickness of the lining of the carotid artery increased by 2%, regardless of total body weight, BMI, and other traditional risk factors for heart disease.

They also found that abdominal fat began to accelerate rapidly within two years on average before the last period of participants and continued to grow more slowly after the transition to menopause.

Saad Samargandy, Ph.D., and MPH, Ph.D. students in Pit Public Health at the time of the study, found that fat hugging abdominal organs is more of a toxic molecule that can harm cardiovascular health. I explained that it is related to secretion.

“Almost 70% of postmenopausal women have central obesity or central overweight,” said Samargandi, the first author of the journal article. “Our analysis showed that during the menopausal transition, the increase in visceral abdominal fat accelerated by 8% per year, regardless of aging over time.”

Measuring abdominal fat with a CT scan is expensive, inconvenient, and can unnecessarily expose women to radiation. Therefore, El Khoudary suggests that measuring and tracking hip circumference on a regular basis is a good agent for monitoring the acceleration of abdominal fat growth. Two women of the same age may have the same BMI, but measuring only body weight and BMI may miss the growth of abdominal fat, as their body fat distribution may be different. She added that there was.

“Historically, the emphasis has been on disproportionate BMI and cardiovascular disease,” said El Khoudary. “Through this lengthy study, we found a clear link between increased abdominal fat and risk of cardiovascular disease, which can be tracked on a tape measure but missed by calculating BMI. It’s possible. If we can identify women at risk, we can help them change their lifestyles and diets faster, hopefully to reduce that risk. “

At the end of last year, El Khoudary called for the importance of counseling women on early interventions to raise awareness of cardiovascular and metabolic syndrome specific to menopausal transitions and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. He led a team to publish a new scientific statement for the association. Factor.

El Khoudary gives a clear cut on whether a particular diet, exercise, or lifestyle intervention is more effective than other interventions, and when waist circumference growth becomes a concern at risk of heart disease. He said more research is needed to determine if there are offpoints.