Belly fat linked to heart failure risk through inflammation

You Can Have a Normal Weight and Still Be at Risk for Heart Failure

Research Highlights Fat stored around the waist, often called belly fat or visceral fat, showed a much stronger link to heart failure risk than body mass index (BMI), making waist size a more revealing measure of risk. Inflammation throughout the body emerged as a major factor connecting abdominal fat to heart failure, accounting for roughly [...]

Belly Fat Affects Heart Failure Risk More Than Weight

Waist-to-height ratio predicts heart failure incidence

Risk of heart failure (HF) has been shown to increase as body mass index (BMI) increases; however, BMI has limitations as an obesity measure. Over median follow-up of 13 years, waist-to-height ratio (WtHR) was found to significantly predict incident HF in almost 2,000 individuals in the Malm Preventive Project. WtHR may be a better metric than BMI to identify patients with HF who could benefit from targeted obesity interventions.

Belly fat linked to heart failure risk through inflammation

New research suggests that measures of excess weight around the waist (central obesity or visceral fat) may increase the risk of heart failure primarily due to inflammation, according to findings presented at the American Heart Association's EPI|Lifestyle Scientific Sessions 2026.

This metric is a better predictor of heart failure than high BMI

Extra belly fat may be a bigger red flag for heart health than body mass index (BMI), according to a new study. BMI, a screening tool widely used to determine whether people are at a “normal” weight, may not be as useful in assessing health and cardiovascular risk as previously thought. Researchers found that having higher levels of fat stored around the abdomen was more strongly associated with heart failure risk than a high bodyweight or BMI, …