“Visceral fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease,” explains nutrition expert Matthias Riedl. Abdominal fat sends out specific proteins that inhibit the body’s ability to break down blood clots. This increases the risk of thrombosis (blood clots in the blood vessels or in the heart) or an embolism, in which a blood clot travels and blocks vessels. The result: the heart or lungs are no longer sufficiently supplied with oxygen and important nutrients, heart muscle cells die, and in the worst case there is a risk of a heart attack. Or a pulmonary embolism: If left untreated, this vascular occlusion can be fatal. What few people know: Slim people can also be at risk. “And that’s when there is too little muscle for too much body fat,” warns Matthias Riedl. According to a Finnish study, this applies to 45 percent of all normal-weight women and every third man. “A lack of muscles means that important messenger substances from the muscles, the so-called myokines, are missing. Their job is to protect the heart,” explains the internist.
