Belly fat is more dangerous to your health than the subcutaneous fat that lies just under your skin, but did you know that the fat that surrounds your heart, called pericardial fat, is more dangerous to your health than either subcutaneous or belly fat?

The accumulation of pericardial fat has long been regarded as a normal feature of the aging process and may play a key role in the development of coronary heart disease. Pericardial fat can collect unnoticed. It is known to secrete high levels of inflammatory proteins called cytokines, and constant exposure of the heart to these proteins can lead to inflammation of the coronary arteries and to calcified coronary plaque which in turn can lead to coronary atherosclerosis, the main cause of coronary heart disease.

Dr. Jingzhong Ding, and researchers at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C., conducted a study of pericardial fat, selecting 159 North Carolina residents between the ages of 55 and 74 years, both black and white, and none of whom had a history of coronary heart disease. All participants were given a computed tomography (CT) scan to measure the amount of their calcified coronary plaque.

Through testing it was determined that a full 58 percent of the participants exhibited some calcified coronary plaque, but those people with the highest levels of pericardial fat were found to be five times more likely to also have high levels of calcified coronary plaque.

Distribution of body fat varies among people, but obesity and an excess amount of body fat is a well-established risk factor for coronary heart disease. Excess accumulation of fat around the upper body is associated with a higher risk of coronary heart disease regardless of total body fat.

Inflammation due to fat deposits tends to be localized in their surrounding tissues and organs; therefore, pericardial fat may be the principal suspect in regard to coronary heart disease. Researchers think it is the constant exposure of the heart to these inflammatory proteins that speeds the development of hardening of the arteries.

Pericardial fat, not gender, weight, or ethnicity determined the amount of calcified coronary plaque seen in participants of Dr. Ding's study. The higher the level of pericardial fat, the higher the risk of coronary atherosclerosis was for these people.

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