Hidden organ fats accelerates coronary heart growing older, whereas fats across the hips and thighs in ladies could gradual it.
Giant quantities of visceral fats, the hidden fats that collects round inner organs, have been linked to a faster growing older course of within the coronary heart, based on new analysis.
Whereas growing older is the first threat issue for coronary heart illness, scientists nonetheless don’t absolutely perceive why some people expertise sooner cardiovascular growing older than others. The workforce behind this examine means that visceral fats could also be a key contributor, dashing up the growing older of each the center and blood vessels. Though such a fats has lengthy been related to adverse well being results, the findings present recent proof that it might particularly drive untimely coronary heart growing older.
The investigation, led by researchers on the Medical Analysis Council (MRC) Laboratory of Medical Sciences in London, UK, additionally highlighted notable variations between women and men. It revealed that fats saved across the hips and thighs would possibly really assist gradual coronary heart growing older in ladies.
Revealed within the European Coronary heart Journal, the examine examined knowledge from 21,241 UK Biobank members. This useful resource consists of whole-body imaging, permitting scientists to measure not solely the full quantity of fats but in addition its distribution throughout completely different components of the physique.
Measuring Coronary heart Age with AI
The UK Biobank knowledge additionally consists of detailed imaging of the center and blood vessels. Synthetic intelligence was used to investigate these photographs to seize indicators of organ growing older – equivalent to tissues changing into stiff and infected. A person was given a “coronary heart age” which may be in comparison with their precise age on the time of the scan.
The researchers discovered that sooner coronary heart growing older was linked to having extra visceral adipose tissue. Visceral adipose tissue is fats discovered deep contained in the stomach round organs such because the abdomen, intestines, and liver. The sort of fats can’t be seen from the surface, and a few individuals can have massive quantities of visceral fats regardless of having a wholesome weight.
The researchers discovered indicators on blood assessments that visceral fats is linked to elevated irritation within the physique – which is a possible explanation for untimely growing older.
In addition they discovered variations between the sexes. Male-type fats distribution (fats across the stomach, usually known as ‘apple’ formed) was notably predictive of early growing older in males.
In distinction, a genetic predisposition to female-type fats (fats on the hips and thighs, usually known as “pear” formed) was protecting towards coronary heart growing older in ladies.
The researchers additionally discovered a hyperlink between increased estrogen ranges in premenopausal ladies and a slowing of coronary heart growing older, which they counsel may point out a task for hormones in defending towards coronary heart growing older.
Knowledgeable Insights
Professor Declan O’Regan, who led the analysis on the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, and is the British Heart Foundation Professor of Cardiovascular AI, said: “We have known about the apple and pear distinction in body fat, but it hasn’t been clear how it leads to poor health outcomes. Our research shows that “bad” fat, hidden deep around the organs, accelerates aging of the heart. But some types of fat could protect against aging– specifically fat around the hips and thighs in women.”
“We also showed that BMI wasn’t a good way of predicting heart age, which underscores the importance of knowing where fat is stored in the body and not just total body weight.”
“The goal of our research is to find ways to increase healthy lifespan. While being active is important, we found that hidden fat could still be harmful even in fit people. In the future, we plan to investigate how drug therapies, such as GLP-1 inhibitors (e.g. Ozempic), could improve not just diabetes and obesity, but target the aging effects of hidden visceral fat.”
This study was funded by the Medical Research Council, British Heart Foundation, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research Imperial College Biomedical Research Centre.
Professor Bryan Williams OBE, chief scientific and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We already know excess visceral fat around the heart and liver can lead to increased blood pressure and high cholesterol, so it is concerning that it could also help to speed up aging of the heart and blood vessels.
“As the pattern of fat distribution typically seen in women’s bodies is linked to estrogen, that hormone may be key to future therapies developed to tackle heart aging.
“Eating a healthier diet and becoming more active can help to reduce visceral fat levels.”
Reference: “Sex-specific body fat distribution predicts cardiovascular ageing” by Vladimir Losev, Chang Lu, Shamin Tahasildar, Deva S Senevirathne, Paolo Inglese, Wenjia Bai, Andrew P King, Mit Shah, Antonio de Marvao and Declan P O’Regan, 22 August 2025, European Heart Journal.
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf553
Never miss a breakthrough: Join the SciTechDaily newsletter.
