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Normal Weight Body Fat Should Not Be Ignored

Posted on: Wednesday, 2 April 2008, 03:00 CDT

We think if we could maintain an ideal weight, then heart disease is something we don't have to think about much unless we have a family history.

But we often ignore body fat. New Mayo Clinic research has found that more than half of American adults considered to have normal body weight have high body-fat percentages -- greater than 20 percent for men and 30 percent for women -- as well as heart and metabolic disturbances.

Mayo researchers say "the finding conflicts with the widely-held belief that maintaining a normal weight automatically guards against disorders such as high levels of circulating blood fats and a tendency to develop metabolic syndrome, which often leads to type 2 diabetes."

The research was presented Tuesday at the American College of Cardiology's annual Scientific Session.

According to a Mayo press release, researchers defined "normal weight" by body mass index (BMI). They found that people with normal BMI who had the highest percentage of body fat were also those who had metabolic disturbances linked to heart disease.

"Using the term 'normal weight obesity' is really a way of being more precise about the changing conceptualization of obesity, because the real definition of obesity is excess body fat," Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a Mayo cardiologist, said in a press release.

"Our study demonstrates that even people with normal weight may have excessive body fat, and that these people are at risk for metabolic abnormalities that lead to diabetes and, eventually, to heart disease," he said.

So what's the significance of the Mayo study?

While a focus on maintaining "a healthy weight" has long been a centerpiece of these efforts, Mayo researchers suggest the focus may need to shift.

"Instead of tracking weight and BMI only, public health measures to prevent heart disease might benefit more from measuring the belly or by assessing percentage of body fat as more reliable risk factors of heart disease," researchers said.

NFL STUDY: In other research presented Sunday, Mayo researchers found that retired National Football League players were at an increased risk for heart problems and recommended screening should start in high school.

In the study of 233 retired NFL players, Mayo found that 82 percent of NFL players younger than 50 had abnormal narrowing and blockages in arteries.

This finding suggests that the former athletes face increased risk of experiencing high blood pressure, heart attack or stroke.

The Mayo research team concluded the retired NFL players are at abnormally high risk for an adverse cardiovascular event, as compared with people of the same age in the general population.

This is the first and largest study to measure comprehensive cardiovascular performance measures on retired NFL athletes, ages 35 to 65.

Source: La Crosse Tribune

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