What is pericardial fat?

A variable amount of fat may be present in and around the pericardial sac; collectively, this adipose tissue is referred to as the pericardial fat pad. Intrapericardial fat accumulates preferentially along the coronary arteries and in the atrioventricular groove; this is referred to as epicardial fat.

How do I reduce pericardial fat?

Aerobic exercise and resistance training with weights are both effective in reducing epicardial fat mass in individuals with abdominal obesity, but resistance training appears to be a better exercise for reducing pericardial adipose tissue mass, according to the results of a new study.

What causes epicardial fat?

The higher epicardial fat was associated with coronary artery disease and other markers of cardiovascular risk (de Vos et al., 2008; Cabrera-Rego et al., 2018). Hence the hormonal changes occurring in the menopause may also play a role in the changes within the epicardial fat.

Where is epicardial fat?

Epicardial fat is a unique adipose tissue located between the myocardium and the visceral layer of pericardium. This tissue is characterized by highly active fatty acid metabolism and highly expressed thermogenic genes.

How do I know if I have pericardial fat?

Fatty heart can be picked up on a CT scan, but it’s incredibly rare to get a CT scan for this reason alone. More often, patients visit a doctor for other symptoms related to heart disease, and the pericardial fat is noticed on a scan.

Is pericardial fat pad Normal?

Pericardial fat pads are normal structures that lie in the cardiophrenic angle. They are adipose tissues surrounding the heart composed of the epicardial fat, which lies between the myocardium and visceral pericardium, and paracardial fat, which is adherent and external to the parietal pericardium.

How do you test for pericardial fat?

Measurement and Imaging Methods

  1. Two-Dimensional echocardiography.
  2. Magnetic Resonance Imaging.
  3. Computed Tomography.
  4. Epicardial Fat Thickness by computed tomography.
  5. Epicardial Fat Volume at computed tomography.

Does exercise burn fat around the heart?

Both resistance and endurance were shown to reduce fat around the heart, but only resistance training reduced pericardial fat specifically. The results suggest that the best way to remove fat around the heart is through resistance training, which targets two types of heart fat.

Is epicardial fat normal?

Epicardial fat thickness strongly correlates with diabetes, atherosclerosis, and coronary artery disease. 2D echocardiography is a very capable and inexpensive tool to measure epicardial fat thickness. There are no established normal values yet, but studies suggest the upper limit to be about 7 mm.

Is epicardial fat pad Normal?

Does fat around the heart go away?

It does not affect your heart function directly. We don’t know, and usually don’t care, if it will go away by itself. However, a recent study shows some association with future coronary heart disease. It may be a reflection of increased overall body fat.