New Delhi, January 20 (IANS). According to a research, people who have pockets of fat hidden inside their muscles have a higher risk of heart attack, regardless of their body mass index.
A new study published in the European Heart Journal provides evidence that body mass index (BMI) or waist circumference is not sufficient to accurately assess heart disease risk for all people.
Studies have shown that people who have a higher amount of fat in their muscles are more likely to have damage to the small blood vessels of the heart (coronary microvascular dysfunction or CMD). The risk of heart disease increases in such people.
People who have high levels of intramuscular fat and evidence of CMD have a higher risk of heart attack.
These findings may be particularly important for understanding the heart health effects of incretin-based therapies that modify fat and muscle, said Professor Vivian Tacqueti, director of the Cardiac Stress Laboratory at Brigham and Women's Hospital, US. These include a new class of glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists.
The study analyzed muscle and different types of fat in 669 people, to understand how body composition can affect the heart's small blood vessels, or 'microcirculation'. It also helps in knowing the risks of heart attack.
The team also used CT scans to analyze the physical structure of each patient in the study, which lasted nearly six years. Measured the amount and location of fat and muscle in a section of their torso.
The study found a lower risk in people with lean muscle mass. In such people, fat deposited under the skin did not increase the risk.
The team is assessing the effects on body composition and heart disease of other methods of treatment, including exercise, diet, weight-loss drugs or surgery, to help reduce heart attack risk in people with fatty muscle.
–IANS
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