Danger Of Belly Fat
The accumulation of fatty deposits in the heart’s arteries can start in childhood. Autopsy studies have shown that fatty streaks can be found in the arteries of children as young as two years old.
These “fatty streaks” are early signs of atherosclerosis or progressive narrowing and hardening of the arteries due to the build up of cholesterol, fatty deposits and other cells in the inner artery walls or intimae.
A childhood obesity study in The New England Journal Of Medicine last December found that a higher body mass index in childhood is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease in adulthood. Cardiologists say that truncal obesity or belly fat is deadly for the heart. Men’s waits should not measure more than 90 cm while Women’s waist sizes should not exceed 80 cm.
The sooner you get rid of belly fat, the better. If you have been obese for 40 years, your body and heart will have been damaged by obesity for 40 years.
The above article is extracted from “Mind Your Body” section on 25th September of The Straits Times in Singapore, an article titled “Heart of the matter”.
