Being lean may not always mean being safe from heart disease, researchers said today.
Some lean people carry a gene which moves the body’s fat to surround the internal organs – where it is most dangerous.
High levels of cholesterol and glucose may indicate the presence of the gene, according to the research in Nature Genetics.
Professor Jeremy Pearson, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "The results help us to understand why some slim people become insulin resistant, which is the first stage of type 2 diabetes, and may lead to better targeted use of medicines to prevent insulin resistance in future.
“These results reinforce the idea that it is not just how fat you are, but where you lay down fat that’s particularly important for heart risk. Fat stored internally is worse for you than fat stored under the skin.
"However, they don’t detract from the fact that being overweight is bad for your heart health, so we should still try to stay lean and fit."
* Genetic testing for heart disease is failing to take off across Europe, experts said today.
Experts meeting in Madrid, Spain, have called for routine testing for 13 genetic conditions which cause heart disease.
The European Heart Rhythm Association says these are conditions caused by specific genetic abnormalities – and are often responsible for unexpected death from heart disease in young people.
Dr Silvia Priori, director of Molecular Cardiology at the Fondazione Salvatore Maugeri and University in Pavia, Italy, said genetic testing is "patchy" in Europe.
She said: "The document is intended to provide guidance to cardiologists in the use of genetic testing among patients and family members."
The 13 inherited conditions include hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, long QT syndrome, Brugada syndrome, and dilated cardiomyopathy.
Genetic variation near IRS1 associates with reduced adiposity and an impaired metabolic profile. T.Kilpeläinen, M Zillikens, A Stanáková, R Loos et al. Nature Genetics July 2011 doi:10.1038/ng.866
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