In two new studies from Mount Sinai, researchers found that having excess pericardial fat—fat around the heart—increases the risk of developing heart failure, especially in women.
They found women with high amounts of pericardial fat are twice as likely to develop heart failure, while men are 50% more likely.
In the study, the team examined the association between fat around the heart and the risk of heart failure by using chest computed tomography (CT) scans.
They used CT scans from nearly 7,000 women and men between 45 and 84 years of age across the United States to measure fat around the heart. None of the participants had evidence of heart disease when the study began.
Researchers followed these participants for more than 17 years and noted that almost 400 of them developed heart failure.
Their analysis found that excess fat around the heart was linked to a higher risk of heart failure in both women and men.
A high fat volume increased the risk of developing heart failure by approximately 100%, or double, in women and about 50% in men.
For this study, the researchers defined excess or “high” pericardial fat volume as 70 cubic centimeters (2.4 fluid ounces) or more in women, and 120 cubic centimeters (4 fluid ounces) or more in men. Amounts below that were considered “normal.”
The researchers also found that the fat was weakly or moderately correlated with indicators of being overweight or obese such as body mass index, waist girth, hip circumference, and waist-to-hip ratio.
It remained a risk factor for heart failure above and beyond the risk of being overweight or obese. In fact, fat around the heart was linked to new heart failure cases regardless of whether the participants were lean, overweight, or obese.
The link between fat around the heart and heart failure was similar among all racial and ethnic groups represented in the study: white, Black, Hispanic, and Chinese.
The research provides strong evidence that excess fat around the heart strongly raises the risk of heart failure.
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The study findings are published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. One author of the study is Satish Kenchaiah, MD.
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