Skinny Fat Could be Silently Damaging Arteries, Putting the Heart at Risk

“Skinny fat,” a phrase tossed around lightly to describe people who look thin but don’t feel fit, is proving to be a dangerous condition. Fat stored deep inside the body, wrapped around organs or packed within the liver, can thicken and clog arteries even in people who appear healthy on the outside.

A new study, published in Communications Medicine, analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound data from over 33,000 adults in Canada and the United Kingdom. It found that visceral and hepatic fat were both linked to artery wall thickening and plaque buildup — strong early signs of cardiovascular disease.

“The findings are a wake-up call for clinicians and the public alike,” said Russell de Souza, co-lead author, in a press release. “Even after accounting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors like cholesterol and blood pressure, visceral and liver fat still contribute to artery damage.”

How Hidden Fat Damages the Arteries That Feed the Brain

The carotid arteries, which run along either side of the neck, supply blood to the brain. When these vessels thicken or clog with fatty deposits, a condition known as carotid atherosclerosis, blood flow can narrow, raising the risk of stroke and heart attack.

Research has shown that visceral fat, which surrounds the organs, and hepatic fat, stored in the liver, were strongly linked to early artery thickening, but their direct impact on the carotid arteries was still unclear. That’s what researchers at McMaster University set out to explore.

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Visceral and Hepatic Fat Thickens Arteries

The study combined MRI and ultrasound data from 33,307 adults, aged 35 to 69, including nearly 7,000 Canadians and 26,000 participants from the U.K. Each participant underwent medical imaging to measure their visceral and hepatic fat.

In the Canadian cohort, researchers used MRI scans to calculate each person’s carotid wall volume. In the U.K. group, ultrasound imaging assessed carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT), another early sign of atherosclerosis. These measurements were analyzed alongside lifestyle factors, blood pressure, and cholesterol to determine whether hidden fat independently affected artery health.

For every standard deviation increase in visceral fat, artery wall thickness rose by about six millimeters in Canadians and 0.016 millimeters in the U.K. participants — even after adjusting for body-mass index (BMI), waist size, and blood pressure. Liver fat showed a weaker but still significant association, suggesting it may play a secondary role in vascular damage.

When the two datasets were combined, the pattern held: visceral fat correlated with early artery thickening, regardless of sex, lifestyle, or overall weight. This suggests that the location of fat, not just the amount, plays a key role in the development of cardiovascular disease.

Why It’s Time to Look Beyond BMI to Measure Health

For doctors, the message is clear: BMI and waist size may not tell the whole story. And for the rest of us, maintaining heart health may mean paying attention to what lies beneath — keeping active, eating well, and scheduling regular checkups to catch the unseen risks before they take hold.

“You can’t always tell by looking at someone whether they have visceral or liver fat,” said Sonia Anand, a co-author, in the press release. “This kind of fat is metabolically active and dangerous; it’s linked to inflammation and artery damage even in people who aren’t visibly overweight.”

Previous studies found that both moderate and vigorous exercise (about 150 minutes per week) reduces liver fat over 6 to 12 months. That means regular walking, jogging or other consistent aerobic activity, combined with strength training and a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, lean protein, and healthy fats, can help shrink dangerous fat.

This article is not offering medical advice and should be used for informational purposes only.

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Article Sources

Our writers at Discovermagazine.com use peer-reviewed studies and high-quality sources for our articles, and our editors review for scientific accuracy and editorial standards. Review the sources used below for this article:

• Communications Medicine. Visceral adipose tissue and hepatic fat as determinants of carotid atherosclerosis
• American Heart Association. What is Atherosclerosis?
• JAMA Internal Medicine. Effects of Moderate and Vigorous Exercise on Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease