Fat Belly Increases Risk of Death.

In one of the largest studies of its kind, researchers at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota, found that people with heart disease who have a little belly fat though, are two-fold risk to die than those who lean on other body parts. The study, led by Francisco Lopez-Jimenez analyzed data collected from five studies on nearly 16,000 heart attacks around the world. Lopez-Jimenez said the researchers tried to predict how the patient's health later in life, based on the location of fat on their bodies. "We found that people who lean more in the abdomen than the hips or the stomach is too big, likely 25 to nearly 70 percent to die than those with normal fat distribution," said Lopez-Jimenez. Although obesity has long been associated with cardiovascular disease, Lopez-Jimenez, head of the Cardio-Metabolic program at Mayo, said it was not the best predictor for long-term health. Obesity is usually measured by calculating body mass index (BMI) a person, namely the amount of body fat than weight and height. But in this study, people with higher BMI have more fat overall, live longer than those with lower BMI. Lopez-Jimenez said the fat distribution is a better indicator. Researchers do not know why abdominal fat increases the risk of death than the fat evenly distributed throughout the body or other body parts, such as legs and buttocks. According to Lopez-Jimenez, it seems belly fat is more metabolically active, causing cholesterol and blood pressure rises. "All the factors that cause heart disease. So, for someone who already diseased heart, we believe these factors will only worsen," he explained. Fortunately, experts say belly fat is the type most easily removed. Most people can reduce belly fat with a low calorie diet and high fiber and regular exercise. This article appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and reported by the "VOA"