Tuesday, July 20, 2010

Large waistline, high triglycerides increases cardiac risk

People with a larger waistline and high triglyceride levels are at increased risk of coronary heart disease, according to a research study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

The CMAJ study examined whether a hypertriglyceridemic waist type could be a useful, cost-effective screening tool to identify people at risk of type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. It looked at a group of 21 787 men and women aged 45 to 79 years. Out of the total sample, 1295 men and 814 women developed coronary heart disease during the follow up period of up to 8 to 10 years. In both men and women, increased waist circumference (even without higher triglyceride levels) and increased triglyceride levels (even without higher waist circumference) increased the risk of developing coronary heart disease. However, the key finding of the study was that the combined presence of increased waist circumference and increased triglyceride levels was associated with the highest risk of coronary heart disease.

Bonnie - as I have said in the past, there is much more to coronary artery disease risk than cholesterol.

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