External Fat on heart
I have been told by my doctor that it appears that I may have a fat pad on the outside of my heart. It was discovered during a chest x-ray. Could you tell me what this means?
Hi Paul,
Thanks for your question. First, I would definitely advise you to speak to your doctor about this.
I'm not sure if this is exactly what you're talking about, but in doing a little research I found an article that talks about “TOFIs” — people who are “thin outside, fat inside.”
From an article on CBS News:
"Doctors are unsure about the exact dangers of internal fat, but
some suspect it contributes to the risk of heart disease and diabetes.
They theorize that internal fat disrupts the body's communication
systems. The fat enveloping internal organs might be sending the body
mistaken chemical signals to store fat inside organs like the liver or
pancreas. This could ultimately lead to insulin resistance, type 2
diabetes, or heart disease...The good news is that internal fat can be easily burned off through
exercise or even by improving your diet. 'Even if you don't see it on
your bathroom scale, caloric restriction and physical exercise have an
aggressive effect on visceral fat,' said Dr. Bob Ross, an obesity
expert at Queen's University in Canada."
I hope this helps--let us know what your doctor says. Goodluck!
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The same thing is happening to me. It is large. What did they do? I just found this out last week.
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