Stiffer Arteries are common among Middle Aged People

It is a fact that most people tend to become fatter as they age. A new study suggests that those who are fat are at risk of putting their arteries in endangered as they grow older. Fat people have stiffer arteries after middle age, which endanger their lives.

However, that would not be a problem among young adults as their blood vessels can easily counter the effects of obesity. But the problem starts when they reach middle age, they lose this capability – arteries tend to become stiffer as body fat increases. And this raises the risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.

Researchers believe that the harmful effects of body fat are linked with how many years the person has been overweight. But researchers were not sure about the research so they need to do additional studies about the effect of obesity for the heart and arteries before they could come with a conclusion.

It is a known fact that obesity is one of the top contributors to heart disease, but the reasons behind this is not yet fully understood.

For the study, researchers gathered a total of 200 volunteers and measured the rate of blood flow in the aorta, the biggest artery in the body. Blood travels faster in stiff vessels compared to healthy elastic vessels. Using this information, they are able to determine how stiff the walls of the aorta through the use of an MRI scanner.

Stiff arteries are not a problem for young adults with more body fat. But, that will change after they reach the age of 50 as it has been found that the fat is somehow associated with stiffer arteries in both men and women.

Body fat percentage can be measured by passing a small electric current through the body, and was believed to be more closely linked with artery stiffness than body mass index, which is based just on weight and height. Men have an average of 21 per cent fat and women have 31 per cent fat.

The research got its fund from British foundation and was published in the journal Hypertension.

Dr Declan O’Regan, the main author of the study claimed that the effect of more fat in the body depends on the age of a person. It is easier to young people to adapt to excess body fat than older people as it can result to a lasting damage to the artery. One factor that may hold the secret to the benefit of weight loss depends on how long the person has been overweight.