Learn Chinese - DIET: Thin people may be fat inside

WORLD / Health

DIET: Thin people may be fat inside

(AP)
Updated: 2007-05-11 08:53

LONDON - If it really is what's on the inside that counts, then a lot of
thin people might be in trouble. Some doctors now think that the internal
fat surrounding vital organs like the heart, liver or pancreas -
invisible to the naked eye - could be as dangerous as the more obvious
external fat that bulges underneath the skin.

This undated MRI scan image released by Imperial College, London,
provides a detailed look at where fat is stored internally in the human
body. [AP]
"Being thin doesn't automatically mean you're not fat," said Dr. Jimmy
Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London. Since
1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines
to create "fat maps" showing where people store fat.

According to the data, people who maintain their weight through diet
rather than exercise are likely to have major deposits of internal fat,
even if they are otherwise slim. "The whole concept of being fat needs to
be redefined," said Bell, whose research is funded by Britain's Medical
Research Council.

Without a clear warning signal - like a rounder middle - doctors worry
that thin people may be lulled into falsely assuming that because they're
not overweight, they're healthy.

"Just because someone is lean doesn't make them immune to diabetes or
other risk factors for heart disease," said Dr. Louis Teichholz, chief of
cardiology at Hackensack Hospital in New Jersey, who was not involved in
Bell's research.

Even people with normal Body Mass Index scores - a standard obesity
measure that divides your weight by the square of your height - can have
surprising levels of fat deposits inside.

Of the women scanned by Bell and his colleagues, as many as 45 percent of
those with normal BMI scores (20 to 25) actually had excessive levels of
internal fat. Among men, the percentage was nearly 60 percent.

Relating the news to what Bell calls "TOFIs" - people who are "thin
outside, fat inside" - is rarely uneventful. "The thinner people are, the
bigger the surprise," he said, adding the researchers even found TOFIs
among people who are professional models.

According to Bell, people who are fat on the inside are essentially on
the threshold of being obese. They eat too many fatty, sugary foods - and
exercise too little to work it off - but they are not eating enough to
actually be fat. Scientists believe we naturally accumulate fat around
the belly first, but at some point, the body may start storing it
elsewhere.

Still, most experts believe that being of normal weight is an indicator
of good health, and that BMI is a reliable measurement.

"BMI won't give you the exact indication of where fat is, but it's a
useful clinical tool," said Dr. Toni Steer, a nutritionist at Britain's
Medical Research Council.

Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but some
suspect it contributes to the risk of heart disease and diabetes. They
theorize that internal fat disrupts the body's communication systems. The
fat enveloping internal organs might be sending the body mistaken
chemical signals to store fat inside organs like the liver or pancreas.
This could ultimately lead to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, or
heart disease.

Experts have long known that fat, active people can be healthier than
their skinny, inactive counterparts. "Normal-weight persons who are
sedentary and unfit are at much higher risk for mortality than obese
persons who are active and fit," said Dr. Steven Blair, an obesity expert
at the University of South Carolina.

For example, despite their ripples of fat, super-sized Sumo wrestlers
probably have a better metabolic profile than some of their slim,
sedentary spectators, Bell said. That's because the wrestlers' fat is
primarily stored under the skin, not streaking throughout their vital
organs and muscles.

The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through
exercise or even by improving your diet. "Even if you don't see it on
your bathroom scale, caloric restriction and physical exercise have an
aggressive effect on visceral fat," said Dr. Bob Ross, an obesity expert
at Queen's University in Canada.

Because many factors contribute to heart disease, Teichholz says it's
difficult to determine the precise danger of internal fat - though it
certainly doesn't help.

"Obesity is a risk factor, but it's lower down on the totem pole of risk
factors," he said, explaining that whether or not people smoke, their
family histories and blood pressure and cholesterol rates are more
important determinants than both external and internal fat.

When it comes to being fit, experts say there is no short-cut. "If you
just want to look thin, then maybe dieting is enough," Bell said. "But if
you want to actually be healthy, then exercise has to be an important
component of your lifestyle."

Top World News 

� Cheney defends extended deployments

� Colorado high school locked down

� Cameroon plane probe focuses on pilot

� Blair to announce departure Thursday

� Feds say terror attack was at hand

Today's Top News 

� Chinese, US economies closely linked - Randt

� Bank to retain dollar reserves

� China-ASEAN military ties no threat

� US House rejects troop withdrawal plan

� Hu, Bush discuss trade talks; $4.3B deals signed

Most Commented/Read Stories in 48 Hours

Learning Materials, Chinese Course, Mandarin audio lessons, Chinese writing lessons, Chinese vocabulary lists, About chinese characters, News in Chinese, Go to China, Travel to China, Study in China, Teach in China, Dictionaries, Learn Chinese Painting, Your name in Chinese, Chinese calligraphy, Chinese songs, Chinese proverbs, Chinese poetry, Chinese tattoo, Beijing 2008 Olympics, Mandarin Phrasebook, Chinese editor, Pinyin editor, China Travel, Travel to Beijing, Travel to Tibet