HHS HealthBeat (October 16, 2008)

Where’s your fat?

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

Having too much fat is part of the problem. But researchers say where the fat is can be a problem in itself.

Researchers using imaging technology say people with more fat deeper in, around organs, were more likely to have buildups of hard, calcified plaque in arteries. This kind of plaque could indicate the presence of softer plaque that could break off and block a heart artery.

Stephen Kritchevsky at Wake Forest University says people can deal with fat deep inside as they do fat under the skin that makes people look overweight.

``If they can maintain a healthy weight in adulthood, they’re much less likely to deposit fat around their heart, or in their abdomen or around their organs.’’ (9 seconds)

The study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition was supported by the National Institutes of Health.

Learn more at hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: October, 16 2008