Visceral fat increases heart attack risk and stiffens the heart, according to a new study.

A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that the relationship between muscle mass and body fat, especially visceral fat, is related to heart function.

Maintaining a healthy level of muscle mass and reducing excess fat is of great benefit to preventing heart disease.

Cardiologist Ricardo Freile, through his social media accounts, has explained how visceral fat influences heart stiffness through diastolic function.

“A recent study looked at the relationship between visceral fat and muscle mass and how this can be a marker of cardiac stiffness, as assessed by diastolic dysfunction ,” Freile commented.

This study involved more than 1,000 people, and measured the amount of abdominal adipose tissue and muscle mass using bioimpedance. The results surprised the researchers.

“A relationship was established, and they found that if you have a lot of visceral fat and little muscle mass, reaching sarcopenia, the heart loses its normal ability to relax, called diastolic function, and over time this increases the risk of heart failure ,” the cardiologist explained.

One of the aspects that most caught the researchers' attention was that this relationship was maintained even when adjusting for other variables associated with diastolic dysfunction.

“The most interesting thing of all is that we then adjusted for the most common variables that can be associated with diastolic dysfunction: hypertension, glucose, and dyslipidemia. But, despite these variables, age, and sex, muscle mass and its relationship to fat tissue still had a significant impact ,” Freile said.

Furthermore, evidence supports that improving muscle mass not only reduces visceral fat, but also contributes significantly to cardiovascular health, preventing future disease.

Therefore, they recommend leading an active lifestyle, maintaining a proper diet, and visiting your doctor regularly to ensure your heart is healthy and free of problems.

DIGITAL REACH EDITORIAL