IMAGE: Associate Professor of Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health. view more
Credit: University of Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, March 3, 2021 – Women who experience an acceleration of abdominal fat during menopause are at increased risk for heart disease, even if the weight remains stable, according to a study led by the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School published today in a journal Menopause.
The study – based on a quarter of a year of data collected on hundreds of women – suggests that measuring waist circumference during protective health care appointments for middle-aged women may be an early indication of a longer-term risk of heart disease. is the most widely used body mass index (BMI). – which is a measure of weight vs. height.
“We need to shift gears on how we think about the risk of heart disease in women, especially as they approach and go through menopause,” said lead author Samar El Khoudary, Ph.D., MPH, associate professor of epidemiology at Pitt Public Health. “Our growing research shows that the amount of fat consumed by doctors is less important. usually measured using weight and BMI, as is where she carries those fats. “
El Khoudary and her colleagues looked at data about 362 women from Pittsburgh and Chicago who participated in the Nationwide Women’s Study (SWAN) heart study. The women, who had an average age of 51, had their visceral adipose tissue – fat around the abdominal organs – measured with a CT scan and the thickness of the inner carotid artery line in their neck measured by ultrasound, at a few points during the study. Thick carotid artery is an early sign of heart disease.
The team found that for every 20% increase in abdominal fat, the lining of the carotid arteries became 2% independent of total weight, BMI and other traditional risk factors for heart disease.
They also found that abdominal fat began to accelerate leg, on average, within two years before the participants ’last period and continued to grow more gradually after the menopausal transition.
Saad Samargandy, Ph.D., MPH, who was a doctoral student at Pitt Public Health at the time of the research, explained that fat that chews the abdominal organs is associated with increased secretion of toxic molecules. may be harmful to cardiovascular health.
“Nearly 70% of post-menopausal women are moderately obese – or overweight in their middle region,” said Samargandy, also the first author of the magazine’s article. “Our analysis showed an accelerated increase of visceral abdominal fat during the menopausal transition of 8% per year, independent of aging.”
Measuring abdominal fat with a CT scan is expensive, inconvenient and could expose women to unnecessary radiation – so El Khoudary recommends measuring and monitoring waist circumference well. good for monitoring to accelerate increase in abdominal fat. Measuring weight and BMI alone could miss the growth of abdominal fat because two women of the same age may have the same BMI but a different fat circulation in their body, she said.
“Historically, there has been an unbalanced weight on BMI and cardiovascular disease,” El Khoudary said. “Through this longitudinal study, we have found a clear link between growth in abdominal fat and risk of cardiovascular disease that can be detected by measuring tape but may be missed by measuring BMI. If possible To identify women who are at risk, you can help them to change their lifestyle and diet to reduce that risk. “
Late last year, El Khoudary led a team in publishing a new scientific report for the American Heart Association that calls for greater awareness of the cardiovascular and metabolic changes specific to menopausal transition and the importance of counseling women on early interventions to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. factors.
El Khoudary noted that more research is needed to determine whether some diet, exercise, or lifestyle interventions are more effective than others, as well as whether there is a clear place for when to grow. in the circumference of the thigh worries for the risk of heart disease.
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Additional authors include Karen A. Matthews, Ph.D., Maria M. Brooks, Ph.D., Emma Barinas-Mitchell, Ph.D., and Jared W. Magnani, MD, M.Sc., Pitt all; and Imke Janssen, Ph.D., and Rasa Kazlauskaite, MD, M.Sc., of Rush University.
This research was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health U01NR004061, U01AG012505, U01AG012535, U01AG012531, U01AG012539, U01AG012546, U01AG012553, U01AG012554, U01AG012495, HL065581 and HL065591.
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About the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health
The University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, founded in 1948 and now one of the top public health schools in the United States, conducts research on improving public health and medical care the lives of millions of people around the world. Pitt Public Health is a leader in devising new ways to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease, HIV / AIDS, cancer and other important public health problems. For more information on Pitt Public Health, visit the school ‘s website at http: // www.
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