Scientists identify a better predictor for heart health than BMI

You want this fat in your steak, but not in your muscles

- 

For those of us that eat red meat, there's nothing better than a fat-marbled steak. Japanese Wagyu beef, in particular, is prized for the streaks of white fat that ribbon intricately through the red meat.

Now experts are saying that not only does this kind of fat exist in human muscle, but that an excess can be a better indicator of heart health than the measurements we currently use.

The pockets of fat dispersed throughout muscle are known as intermuscular adipose tissue (IMAT). Although experts have known about the existence of IMAT in animals since 1972, it's only been studied in humans since the turn of the century, thanks to advances in non-invasive imaging technology, such as computed tomography (CT) scans.

Now, a team of researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, in the US, has released a study identifying IMAT as the single best indicator for the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.

FINDING THE FAT

The team evaluated 669 people brought to their facility for chest pain and shortness of breath, but who showed no signs of obstructed (fat-clogged) arteries. They gave each patient a CT scan to determine the amount and location of fat and muscle in their bodies.