Abdominal Fat Can Kill You

From a press release from Queen's University:

A new study by Queen's University researchers shows for the first time that visceral fat in the abdomen is directly associated with a higher risk of mortality in men. According to Physical and Health Education doctoral student Jennifer Kuk, who is the first author of the study, these findings underline the importance of measuring abdominal fat to predict the risk of future disease and mortality. "This reinforces the need to target visceral fat in therapeutic strategies for dealing with obesity," she says. "Body weight alone is not a sufficient indicator of risk." Since visceral fat is strongly correlated with waist circumference, the researchers recommend that waist measurement be a routine measure in clinical practice. When looking at diet weight loss versus exercise weight loss, those who exercise tend to lose more visceral fat and maintain muscle fat better than those using strictly a diet approach, he points out. "This reinforces the importance of maintaining regular physical activity."