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Abstract

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Plain English Takeaway

People with more fat around their organs compared to just under their skin are more likely to develop heart and blood vessel problems. Focusing on reducing this deeper belly fat may help lower the risk.

Study Aim

The main goal of this systematic review was to examine whether the ratio of visceral adipose tissue (VAT, fat stored around internal organs) to subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT, fat stored just under the skin) in the abdomen is linked to the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (CVDs, which include heart disease, stroke, and related conditions). The authors wanted to see if this VAT-to-SAT ratio could serve as a useful indicator for predicting who might develop CVDs in the future. Simply put: The study set out to find out if having more deep belly fat compared to surface belly fat makes people more likely to get heart disease.

Study Design

The researchers conducted a systematic review, which means they carefully collected and analyzed all relevant human observational studies published in English from January 2000 to October 2023. They searched databases like PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar for studies that looked at the VAT-to-SAT ratio and its connection to cardiovascular diseases. After screening 1173 studies, they included 27 studies (18 cross-sectional and 9 cohort studies) that met their criteria. These studies used imaging methods such as computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to measure fat distribution, and they assessed outcomes like blood pressure, atherosclerosis (artery thickening), heart attacks, strokes, and risk scores for heart disease. Simply put: The authors reviewed many studies that measured deep and surface belly fat and checked if people with more deep fat had more heart problems.

Findings

The review found that most studies showed a higher VAT-to-SAT ratio is linked to a greater risk of cardiovascular diseases, including high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart attacks, and strokes. This means people with more visceral fat compared to subcutaneous fat are more likely to develop these conditions. Only a few studies did not find this link, often due to small sample sizes or special groups like adolescents or people with HIV. The authors suggest that the VAT-to-SAT ratio could be a useful tool for predicting heart disease risk. They recommend focusing on lifestyle changes that reduce visceral fat, rather than just removing subcutaneous fat, to lower the risk of heart disease. However, because most included studies were observational, more research is needed to prove cause and effect. Simply put: People with more deep belly fat than surface fat are more likely to get heart disease, so it's important to try to reduce deep belly fat.

Referenced In

William Fan
2 months ago
Health, Fitness, and Nutrition

[Physionic] Resistant Starch is OP?

www.youtube.comI watched this great video from Physionic on the scientific literature on resistant starch and its impact on visceral fat and liver health. Very compelling evidence via placebo controlled RCTs on resistant starch's ability to treat Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) or fka NAFLD and weight loss plus 6 more studies as provided by Physionic. He states that compared to placebo, the studies show 300% relative or 20% absolute improvement in reducing visceral fat.

Visceral fat, the fat that surrounds internal organs, can put people at higher risk for several diseases like cardiovascular disease and specifically contributes to fatty liver disease, even when compared to other fat types.

The most common type of resistant starch (RS3) is formed when the starch in foods like rice, pasta, and potatoes is cooked and then cooled allowing the starch to crystallize in a process called retrogradation. The starch becomes undigestible for humans but becomes fuel for our gut microbiome. Raw starch (RS2) found in potato starch, green bananas, or high-amylose maize acts similarly and is most commonly used in supplements.

The theoretical biological mechanism for this improvement is via the reduction of a harmful bacteria that is crowded out by other bacteria that thrive on resistant starch. Even more interesting, Physionic found that 70% are hyper-responders to resistant starch.

Resistant starch, because indigestible, packs significantly less caloric and carbohydrate punch than its non-resistant version. But these studies show that it goes beyond harm reduction. Resistant starch can have positive effects especially with supplementation to reach minimum effective doses.

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