Apple-Shaped Not At Higher Risk Of Developing Heart Conditions
A new study shows that people who are apple-shaped are not exposed to a higher risk of developing heart diseases (health.msn.com/PopUp.aspx?cp-documentid=100227668)
A couple of months ago, a study that freaked out the apple-shaped appeared. The study stated that people who have fat around the middle area of their bodies are more prone to develop heart diseases.
However, there’s a more recent study which denies all these facts. According to the study, apple-shaped people are no more in danger of developing a heart disease than any other people. Researchers at the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration in the U.K. reviewed records of more than 220,000 participants in 58 different trials and what they found out was that, of course, obese people are more prone to develop heart conditions, but it doesn’t matter where the fat resides, be it on your hips, your belly or in whatever other place. The findings show that body shape does not affect heart disease risks.
Studies previous to this one have focused more on the shape of the body and the distribution of fat, because what researchers wanted to do was to find out what types of body shapes are more prone to develop heart conditions, without the need of blood testing. However, the results of the new study contradict every premise the others have posed. Of course the BMI is very important in revealing how much risk obese people are facing in front of heart diseases, but the distribution of fat or the shape of the body is not relevant at all.
Given that the fat that resides on the middle of the body may affect deeper layers, reaching vital organs like the liver or the pancreas, thus leading to severe conditions, it was also believed that it may also affect the heart. That is why previous researchers have mentioned that the apple-shaped people are more predisposed at developing heart problems. Still, the U.K. researchers of this new study have said that even though fat is a great contributor to such conditions, it may not play as important a role as the cholesterol, blood pressure or diabetes. Thus, researchers concluded that waist measures don’t appear to add much to the ability to predict future heart disease or stroke, so people who are apple-shaped should stop worrying. Of course, it is healthy to lose weight, it’s good for both your body and your mind, but you should lose weight because you want to, not because you’re afraid of dying of a heart attack.11
