Even little weight gain around belly impairs functioning of blood vessels--study

As per Mayo Clinic researchers’ study published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, gaining even the smallest amount (say nine pounds) of fat around belly could put an individual at the risk of developing endothelial cell dysfunction.

Commenting on the research study findings, a cardiologist at Mayo Clinic, Virend Somers, explained, "Endothelial dysfunction has long been associated with an increased risk for coronary artery disease and cardiovascular events.

“Gaining a few pounds in college, on a cruise, or over the holidays is considered harmless, but it can have cardiovascular implications, especially if the weight is gained in the abdomen."

Study’s details
To come to this conclusion, a team of Mayo Clinic researchers led by Dr. Somers studied 43 healthy volunteers with an average age of 29.

Before starting the experiment, volunteers’ blood flow though arm arteries was measured for endothelial dysfunction.

Over the course of eight weeks, some volunteers were asked to gain weight and others were asked to maintain their weight. All were tested regularly. Then the weight gainers were asked to lose all the fat from their bellies and were tested again.

After all this experimentation, researchers found out that volunteers who gained weight as little as nine pounds around their bellies registered normal blood pressure; however, blood flow through their arm arteries was severely affected due to endothelial dysfunction.

But once the volunteers lost all the excess belly fat gained for the experiment, the blood flow came down to normal again.

Study also revealed that blood flow was normal and regular among weight-maintainers, and people who gain weight evenly throughout their lives are less at the risk of being affected by the dysfunction.

Overall, the study showed that gaining belly fat is directly linked to endothelial cell dysfunction, which impairs functioning of blood vessels.

Big belly riskier than being obese
Dr. Somers concluded that people should know about the harmful effects of having belly fat.

"Patients should know that having a big belly may be more harmful than simply being obese. Letting weight creep on during college or as the result of aging should not be accepted as normal.

“Physicians should know that the location of fat is important. Greater attention should be given to the circumference of a patient's waistline, not just their body mass index (BMI),” Dr. Somers wrote.