Science Questions

Is midriff fat worse than other fat?

I have a liking for dairy products but I’ve been diagnosed with angina recently and I’ve come to understand that fat around the midriff is the worst area to accumulate. Why could this be? Tad Davidson

We put this to Professor Lucilla Poston:

It certainly is.  One of the best evidence that central fat is the worst sort of fat is telling us that’s bad news.  The reason is there are probably different fat depots in the body and they produce different chemicals.  The ones produced by the fat around the midriff are probably the most damaging in relation to cardiovascular risk.

January 2009