Excess fat can harm the body – but in some cases, it may also play a protective role. This applies, for instance, to epicardial fat, a thin layer of fat surrounding the heart. Its role in the development of heart failure has been studied by researchers from the Institute of Physiology of the Czech Academy of Sciences and doctors from IKEM as part of the CarDia project.
In an interview for Radiožurnál, Ondřej Kuda from the Institute of Physiology and Martin Haluzík, head of the Centre for Diabetes at IKEM, explain that in heart failure, epicardial fat can act as a “last-resort fuel” – it begins producing ketone bodies, which the heart uses when its energy sources run low. The fat essentially sacrifices itself to help the heart maintain its function. Similar metabolic changes have been observed in subcutaneous fat as well.
The results of the study also confirm the so-called obesity paradox – while being overweight increases the risk of developing heart failure, patients with a moderate excess of fat may have a better prognosis once the disease progresses.
In the next part of the interview, cardiologist Vojtěch Melenovský from IKEM explains that overweight and diabetes are among the main risk factors for heart failure. Around 350,000 people in the Czech Republic are currently being treated for this condition, and the number is steadily growing. Melenovský emphasizes that the best prevention is regular exercise and weight control, and he also highlights new GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, which help reduce body weight and improve outcomes in patients at high cardiovascular risk.
The research and clinical findings were carried out under the National Institute for Research of Metabolic and Cardiovascular Diseases – CarDia.
Listen to the full podcast here (in Czech):
09:20 – Fat and heart failure
12:40 – Interview with cardiologist Vojtěch Melenovský
dana.hruskova@ikem.cz
