Hormonal

Elevated plasma levels of endotrophin, the C-terminal cleavage product of collagen type VI alpha 3 (COL6A3), causally increase the risk of coronary artery disease, acting as a primary mediator linking obesity to cardiometabolic disease.

Obesity increases the risk of heart disease partly by raising levels of a specific protein fragment called endotrophin. This fragment is created when body fat increases, specifically from abdominal subcutaneous fat. The good news is that losing body fat reduces these levels. Therefore, weight loss interventions that reduce abdominal adiposity are likely to lower this specific biological risk factor for coronary artery disease.