{"id":132011,"date":"2025-10-19T12:53:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T12:53:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/132011\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T12:53:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T12:53:09","slug":"being-slim-is-not-enough-hidden-skinny-fat-could-still-quietly-raise-your-risk-of-heart-attack-and-stroke-study-warns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/132011\/","title":{"rendered":"Being slim is not enough: Hidden \u2018skinny fat\u2019 could still quietly raise your risk of heart attack and stroke, study warns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Slim figures might not always signal a healthy heart. New research suggests that hidden fat surrounding organs and stored in the liver\u2014known as visceral fat\u2014can quietly damage arteries and raise the risk of stroke and heart disease, even in people who appear thin. The findings, published in Communications Medicine<\/a>, call into question the long-standing reliance on body-mass index (BMI<\/a>) as the sole measure of obesity<\/a>.Visceral fat: The silent threat According to Daily Mail<\/a>, researchers at McMaster University<\/a> in Canada analysed MRI scans and health data from over 33,000 adults in Canada and the UK. They found that visceral fat\u2014a type of fat that accumulates around internal organs\u2014was strongly linked to thickening and clogging of the carotid arteries, which supply blood to the brain. Narrowing of these arteries is a major stroke risk<\/a> factor and may indicate blockages in other vital vessels, including those feeding the heart.
\u201cThis study shows that even after accounting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, visceral and liver fat still contribute to artery damage,\u201d said co-lead author Professor Russell de Souza from McMaster University. He described the results as \u201ca wake-up call for clinicians and the public alike.\u201d
Co-lead author Professor Marie Pigeyre added that the research underscores the need for more advanced assessments of fat distribution, rather than relying solely on overall weight or waist size. Professor Sonia Anand, corresponding author and vascular medicine specialist, highlighted that \u201cthis kind of fat is metabolically active and dangerous\u2014it is linked to inflammation and artery damage even in people who are not visibly overweight.\u201dWhy BMI may not tell the full story Under current guidelines, a BMI of 18.5\u201325 is considered healthy, 25\u201329 is overweight, and 30 or above is obese. However, a recent global proposal by 58 international specialists suggests that BMI alone is too blunt a tool. Adding waist circumference and weight-to-height ratio could give a more accurate picture of unhealthy fat distribution.
Data from Harvard University<\/a> and Massachusetts General Hospital, analysing over 300,000 American adults, found that applying the new criteria could increase the number of people classed as obese by nearly 60 per cent. Even those with a \u201chealthy\u201d BMI but elevated waist or weight-to-height measures had higher risks of organ dysfunction, diabetes, and more than three times the likelihood of organ damage. The researchers also noted that nearly 80 per cent of participants aged 70 or above would be classified as obese under the new system\u2014double the current rate\u2014indicating that traditional BMI measures may underestimate health risks in older adults. Tackling hidden fat and obesity Experts stress the importance of using imaging-based methods to identify dangerous fat deposits and develop personalised prevention strategies. The findings arrive amid new measures in the UK to tackle obesity, including bans on \u201cbuy one, get one free\u201d offers on sugary snacks, restrictions on junk food advertising, and limits on free fizzy drink refills in restaurants.<\/p>\n

Visceral fat may be invisible to the eye, but its effects on the heart and arteries are real. As Professor de Souza warned, \u201cBeing slim is not enough\u2014hidden fat can quietly increase your risk of heart attack, stroke, and other serious illnesses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Add \"ET as a Reliable and Trusted News Source<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Slim figures might not always signal a healthy heart. New research suggests that hidden fat surrounding organs and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132012,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[644,79185,18,242,135,79187,18138,19,17,79184,7176,79186,37606,79183],"class_list":{"0":"post-132011","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health","8":"tag-bmi","9":"tag-communications-medicine","10":"tag-eire","11":"tag-harvard-university","12":"tag-health","13":"tag-heart-attack-risk","14":"tag-heart-disease-risk","15":"tag-ie","16":"tag-ireland","17":"tag-mcmaster-university","18":"tag-obesity","19":"tag-skinny-fat","20":"tag-stroke-risk","21":"tag-visceral-fat"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}