New Canadian research suggests ‘skinny fat’ body type linked to artery damage – CTV
October 17, 2025
The correlation between overweight adults and artery damage is well-documented, but new data suggests that hidden fat within the abdomen and around the liver can clog the arteries of individuals who outwardly appear healthy.
That’s according to a new study published Friday in the online journal Communications Medicine. The study was led by researchers at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ont., who wanted to learn more about the effects of a buildup of two types of hidden body fat.
“Visceral fat, a type of fat stored in the abdomen, and buildup of fat within the liver are known to increase Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease risk. This study aims to see how these types of fat affect artery health,” researchers said in the study.
“We studied 6,760 Canadian adults to examine how visceral and liver fat relate to the buildup of fatty plaque deposits in arteries, and 26,547 adults from the United Kingdom to see how these fats affect artery thickness.”
The combined results confirmed that narrowed arteries and the buildup of plaque within them are “strongly related” to hidden visceral fat, and to a lesser extent hepatic fat, the type that gathers around the liver, according to the study.
