People who are genetically predisposed to storing belly fat, or having an apple-shaped body type, could face a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, researchers said Tuesday.
The study in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) suggests a person’s genetic makeup may cause health problems down the road.
Previous observational studies have uncovered a link between belly fat and Type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but fell short of proving cause and effect.
To investigate further, researchers examined six studies conducted from 2007 to 2015, including some 400,000 participants whose genomes were analyzed.
Previous research had identified 48 gene variants, resulting in a genetic risk score.
They found that people with certain genes that predisposed them to higher waist ratio also had higher lipids, insulin, glucose and systolic blood pressure, as well as a higher risk for Type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
Since researchers did not find any links between body type, genetic risk score and confounding factors such as diet and smoking, that “provides strong evidence that abdominal adiposity itself contributes to causing Type 2 diabetes and heart disease,” he added.
Emdin said the findings could one day lead to the development of drugs designed to target belly fat, and perhaps lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
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