Medicine
fromScienceDaily
2 days agoThe fat you can't see may be damaging your heart, even if you exercise
Excess visceral fat surrounding organs accelerates heart aging, causing stiffening and inflammation; hip and thigh fat may protect women.
When injuries or infections occur, the immune system mounts a protective response by releasing cells and proteins to affected tissues. This complex cascade is called inflammation. But as we age, inflammation gradually increases and becomes persistent instead of being a state that occurs only when things go wrong. Among the cells that that help to regulate this inflammageing are a variety of macrophages - white blood cells that hoover up pathogens and cellular debris - that reside in fat tissue.