The dangers of carrying extra weight in your midsection have been well documented. Now a new study suggests the earlier your gain that weight, the higher your risk of heart disease.
More than 32-hundred healthy weight adults under the age of 30 were recruited for the study back in 1985. All were followed for about three decades…with researchers keeping a keen eye on both weight gained in the abdomen and overall obesity. Measurements were taken during 7 follow-up examinations.
Over the life of the study, 40-point-four percent of the participants became full body obese. While 41-percent developed abdominal obesity.
Those who started to gain weight in early adulthood had higher rates of coronary artery calcification…an early sign of heart disease.
These findings suggest that the longer a person’s exposure to excess fat…the earlier the onset of heart problems.
And while more studies are needed, it appears keeping trim, especially in the mid-section during
young adulthood, may lower the risk of developing atherosclerosis through middle age.
I’m Dr. Cindy Haines of HealthDay TV bringing you another ounce of prevention.