ABS OF FLAB LINKED TO HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, STUDY FINDS.Byline: Theresa Tamkins Medical Tribune News Service People with "apple-shaped" bodies - extra fat around their midriff midriff /mid·riff/ (-rif) the diaphragm; the region between the breast and waistline. mid·riff n. See diaphragm. as opposed to around the buttocks buttocks /but·tocks/ (but´oks) the two fleshy prominences formed by the gluteal muscles on the lower part of the back. and thighs - are at increased risk of heart disease, research has shown. But in a new study of women with this type of fat, those who lost some of the weight were able to lower their blood pressure, which may reduce their risk of heart disease as well as stroke and kidney problems. The cause of high blood pressure in most cases is unknown, although obesity and excessive salt intake can contribute to it. Now, the study authors suggest that abdominal fat in particular may play a role. In the study, 26 obese o·bese adj. Extremely fat; very overweight. obese characterized by obesity. obese adjective Characterized by obesity, see there; excessively fat women with high blood pressure went on a 12-week diet in which they consumed fewer than 1,200 calories a day. At the start of the study, the researchers determined the amount of abdominal fat the women had using computed tomography Computed tomography (CT scan) X rays are aimed at slices of the body (by rotating equipment) and results are assembled with a computer to give a three-dimensional picture of a structure. , a high-tech scan used to examine structures inside the body. The more fat women lost from their abdomens, the more their blood pressure dropped during the study, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. the report, published in the January issue of the journal Hypertension. But weight loss in general or the loss of fat from other areas of the body was not linked to a drop in blood pressure, the study showed. Overall, the women lost between 12 and 35 pounds, an average of half an inch from the waist and about 44 cubic centimeters cu·bic centimeter n. Abbr. cc A unit of volume equal to one thousandth (10-3) of a liter or to one milliliter. of fat from around the body organs. Their blood pressure dropped from about 151/92 to about 136/83, according to study author Dr. Hideyuki Kanai of Toyonaka Municipal Hospital in Osaka, Japan. Blood pressure of about 130/85 is considered normal, according to Kanai. It's not clear why losing abdominal fat lowers blood pressure, he said. But abdominal fat appears to be more likely than fat in other areas of the body to cause insulin resistance Insulin Resistance Definition Insulin resistance is not a disease as such but rather a state or condition in which a person's body tissues have a lowered level of response to insulin, a hormone secreted by the pancreas that helps to regulate the level , according to the study. Insulin resistance is a condition in which the body loses its sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar. The condition often occurs in obese people, and is thought to play a role in increasing blood pressure, according to the researcher. |
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