New Canadian research suggests ‘skinny fat’ body type linked to artery damage

A doctor wears a stethoscope around his neck as he tends to patients in his office in Illinois, Tuesday, Oct. 30, 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Jeff Roberson

The correlation between overweight adults and artery damage is well-documented, but new data suggests that hidden fat within the abdomen and around the liver can clog the arteries of individuals who outwardly appear healthy.

That’s according to a new study published Friday in the online journal Communications Medicine. The study was led by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., who wanted to learn more about the effects of a buildup of two types of hidden body fat.

“Visceral fat, a type of fat stored in the abdomen, and buildup of fat within the liver are known to increase Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease risk. This study aims to see how these types of fat affect artery health,” researchers said in the study.

“We studied 6,760 Canadian adults to examine how visceral and liver fat relate to the buildup of fatty plaque deposits in arteries, and 26,547 adults from the United Kingdom to see how these fats affect artery thickness.”

The combined results confirmed that narrowed arteries and the buildup of plaque within them are “strongly related” to hidden visceral fat, and to a lesser extent hepatic fat, the type that gathers around the liver, according to the study.

The findings suggest that those with what’s often called a “skinny fat” body type – people with a normal or below normal body mass index (BMI) but a higher proportion of body fat than is considered healthy – are more at risk of artery damage than previously thought.

“This 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,” said Russell de Souza, co-lead author of the study and associate professor at McMaster, in a Friday media release from the university.

“The findings are a wake-up call for clinicians and the public alike.”

Clogging and thickening of the carotid arteries in the neck were found to be strongly linked to the build up of the visceral and hepatic fat researchers were studying.

“These arteries supply blood to the brain, and their narrowing is a key predictor of stroke and heart attack,” read the release.

Researchers say these findings demonstrate the need for more sophisticated ways of determining a “healthy” body weight beyond BMI, which does not account for the types of hidden fat examined in the study.

“The implications are far-reaching,” the release read.

“For clinicians, it underscores the need to go beyond BMI and waist circumference and consider imaging-based assessments of fat distribution. For middle-aged adults, it’s a reminder that hidden fat, not just visible weight, can silently increase cardiovascular risk.”