from European Journal of Preventive Cardiology
Previous research has shown abdominal obesity—that is belly fat—is an important risk factor for a first heart attack. But until now the association between excess belly fat and a subsequent heart attack was unknown. The new study, published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, followed more than twenty-two thousand patients after their first heart attack. Most of those in the study, both men and women, had abdominal obesity, but increasing that abdominal obesity was independently associated with fatal and non-fatal heart attacks and stroke regardless of other risk factors, such as smoking, diabetes, high blood pressure along with other preventive treatments to lower their risk.