SATURDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- A new study finds that
different patterns of fat distribution in black and white women may
predict increased arterial stiffness, which is associated with
cardiovascular disease.
Stiff arteries force the heart to work harder to pump blood and
are also associated with a buildup of plaque in the arteries
(atherosclerosis) that can block blood flow and lead to a heart
attack.
In this study, Dr. Danny Eapen of Emory University in Atlanta,
and colleagues used skin calipers to measure fat at several sites
on the bodies of 102 black and 228 white middle-aged women. Fat was
measured on the upper chest, the armpit, triceps, below the
shoulder blade, the abdomen, above the hip bone and the thigh.
The women were also assessed for arterial stiffness.
Compared to white women, black women had more arterial stiffness
and more fat in the armpit, triceps, shoulder blade and hip bone
areas, the investigators found.
After adjusting for other factors that could be related to
arterial stiffness, the researchers concluded that fat in the
armpit area predicts increased arterial stiffness in black women,
while fat in the abdominal and triceps areas was a predictor in
white women.
The study was to be presented Saturday at the American Heart
Association's Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis and Vascular Biology
meeting in Chicago.
Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data
and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in
a peer-reviewed journal.
More information
The American Academy of Family Physicians has more about
vascular disease.