Research
Hormonal
Inflammation in perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (eAT) promotes cardiovascular damage by releasing pro-inflammatory signals and reducing vasoprotective brown adipokines.
Fat stored around your heart and blood vessels isn't just inert storage; it actively communicates with your cardiovascular system. Inflammation in this fat can damage blood vessels and increase heart disease risk. Reducing overall body fat and inflammation may protect your heart.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Inflammation and BAT-versus-WAT plasticity at these adipose depots close to blood vessels and heart appear to impact directly on several functions performed by cellular components of the cardiovascular system... local release of pro-inflammatory cytokines (e.g., MCP-1, TNFα, and IL-1β) into the adjacent interstitium of the myocardium and coronary arteries is likely to have damaging effects.
Why this rating
Cites multiple studies linking PVAT and eAT inflammation to atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease.
Source
Inflammation of brown/beige adipose tissues in obesity and metabolic disease
Francesc Villarroya et al. · Journal of Internal Medicine · 2018
DOI 10.1111/joim.12803
narrative_reviewCited 301×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- In obesity, chronic low-grade inflammation in brown and beige adipose tissue impairs thermogenic activity and glucose uptake, contributing to metabolic syndrome.Good
- Pro-inflammatory cytokines, particularly TNFα, impair brown adipose tissue thermogenesis by reducing UCP1 expression and insulin sensitivity.Good
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