Abdominal Fat and Risk of Stroke

Men who carry most of their excess weight on the torso of the body may have an increased risk of fatal stroke, according to a study of 9,100 male civil servants and municipal employees in Israel.

Investigators collected measurements on all participants, including the thickness of skin from beneath the shoulder, used as a measure of trunk and overall obesity, and the thickness of the upper arm. A ratio of the two measures indicated the distribution of central and peripheral body fat. Participants were followed for 23 years. When other factors were accounted for, men with more central body fat had a significantly greater risk of stroke mortality than those with a more even distribution of fat. The observation held true regardless of the person's body mass index, according to researchers.

Although other studies have pointed out links between central or abdominal obesity and the development of type 2 diabetes or metabolic syndrome, this is reportedly the first to suggest an association with fatal stroke.