Mixed
Higher pericardial fat volume is independently associated with prevalent atrial fibrillation, even after adjusting for body mass index and other cardiovascular risk factors.
Maintaining a healthy weight helps reduce pericardial fat, which is linked to a higher risk of atrial fibrillation. While BMI is a common metric, this research suggests that the fat specifically surrounding the heart is a critical factor. If you have atrial fibrillation or risk factors for it, discussing cardiac imaging or weight management strategies with your cardiologist may be beneficial, as reducing this specific fat deposit could potentially lower AF risk.
Pericardial fat but not intrathoracic or visceral abdominal fat was associated with prevalent AF in multivariable-adjusted models (odds ratio per standard deviation of pericardial fat volume, 1.28; 95% confidence intervals, 1.03 to 1.58).
Why this rating
Large community-based cohort (Framingham), rigorous CT volumetric measurement, and multivariable adjustment, though cross-sectional design limits causal inference.
Source
Pericardial Fat Is Associated With Prevalent Atrial Fibrillation
George Thanassoulis et al. · Circulation Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology · 2010
DOI 10.1161/circep.109.912055
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