Muscle fat increases the risk of health problems and early death
We all know fat. It’s the stuff we have on our stomachs that we try to lose in the gym.
But there is another type of fat that you may not be aware of.
It’s called myosteosis. Sounds complicated, right? Well, it’s actually pretty simple.
Myosteatosis is just a fancy term for fat that accumulates in our muscles. Yes, exactly, fat can hide in our muscles!
This type of fat is more insidious than the type around our stomachs because we don’t see it. We usually find out about it when we already feel sick and go to the doctor to have it checked out.
The study on myosteosis
A team of clever scientists wanted to know if this insidious muscle fat could cause problems in healthy people. So they did a big study and published their findings in a scientific journal called Radiology.
The team was led by a researcher named Dr. Maxime Nachit from UCLouvain in Brussels, Belgium.
Using a computer program, they examined abdominal scans of healthy adults who were undergoing colon cancer screening.
How many people were examined?
The scientists studied nearly 9,000 adults whose bellies were scanned between 2004 and 2016. Unfortunately, over 500 of these people died in that time.
What the researchers found was surprising. More than half of those who died had a lot of fat in their muscles.
The risk of muscle fat
The risk of dying within 10 years was much higher in people with muscle fat (15.5%) than in those with obesity (7.6%), a fatty liver (8.5%), or weak muscles (9.7% %).
Interestingly, the risk of death for people with muscle fat was almost the same as for those who smoked or had type 2 diabetes.
The problem with muscle fat
Here’s the problem. The fat in our muscles isn’t just related to aging or being overweight. dr Nachit said this fat accumulates even when we’re not old or don’t have too much body fat.
This makes muscle fat a tricky problem that’s not easy to spot. Most of us may not even know we have it.
What’s next for muscle fat research?
We still don’t know much about muscle fat. For example, we don’t know if it’s just a sign that someone isn’t very healthy, or if it directly leads to people getting sick or dying. Future studies could help find this out.
On the way to personalized medicine
dr Nachit mentioned something called “personalized medicine.” This is an exciting new way of treating patients.
Rather than giving everyone the same treatment, doctors look at a person’s genes, medical history, physical characteristics, and other factors to create a tailored treatment plan.
It’s like having a suit made just for you instead of buying it off the rack!
What role does muscle fat play in personalized medicine?
Well, if you’ve had a medical exam, there’s a good chance the doctors can figure out if you have muscle fat. dr Nachit believes this knowledge could be a powerful tool for doctors.
It could help them find out if a person is at high risk of getting sick or dying in the next few years.
In short, the study shows that fat in our muscles could be a hidden danger that we need to pay more attention to.
With more research and a trend toward personalized medicine, we might better understand this insidious fat and find ways to fight it.
If you care about wellness, please read the related studies Avocado could help you lose weight and belly fatand a popular weight-loss diet linked to heart disease and cancer.
Further information on the subject of health can be found in current studies Olive oil can help you live longerAnd Vitamin D could help lower the risk of autoimmune diseases.
The study was published in radiology.
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