Excessive Abdominal Fat Might Cause Widespread Chronic Pain

Summary: One of the latest studies shows that abdominal fat accumulation considerably increases the risk of widespread chronic pain, particularly in females. The study found that central obesity doubles the risk of chronic pain in females. Although abdominal fat also increases this risk in males, it is less pronounced.

 Widespread chronic pain is very common. CDC’s data shows that every year, more than one-fifth (20.9%) of US adults experience chronic pain. Pain is among the leading causes of seeking medical help.

However, chronic pain is quite different from acute pain. Unlike acute pain, which results from some inflammation, trauma, or known cause, in the case of chronic pain, the cause may frequently remain unidentified. Even if the cause of chronic pain is identified, a person may continue to experience the pain long after the initial condition that caused the pain has been cured.

It is evident that chronic pain most likely occurs due to multiple reasons, and that is why science has difficulty in identifying its cause. Thus, for example, people living with various chronic health issues are more likely to experience chronic pain. This is most likely due to significant changes in metabolism, hormones, and more.

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Now, one of the new studies confirms that those living with abdominal obesity are much more likely to experience widespread chronic pain. This is true for both genders, but it is especially true for females.

There is a reason to believe that there might be an association between chronic pain and metabolic disorders. It is known that abdominal adipose tissues are endocrinologically quite active. They are known to disrupt hormonal health. Not only that, these tissues also cause chronic inflammation or metabolic inflammation. All these factors not only increase the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular issues but also cause numerous other health issues like chronic fatigue and increased risk of chronic pains.

Although science has long guessed an association between widespread chronic pain and metabolic inflammation secondary to abdominal adiposity, but to date, evidence to support this theory has been missing. However, one of the most extensive studies to date provides some sound data supporting this theory.

This new study was done by an Australian researcher using a UK biobank. They analyzed the data of 32409 individuals (half of them women) for whom abdominal MRI scans were available. Thus, data regarding their visceral adipose tissue and medical history were available.

They found that central obesity or visceral obesity significantly increased the risk of widespread chronic pains in women. The risk of widespread chronic pains was twice as high in such women compared to those not living with such a kind of obesity.

They found that subcutaneous adipose tissue also increases the risk of chronic pains in women by about 60%.

Although abdominal fat also increased the risk of chronic widespread pain in men, this risk was lower compared to women. Thus, abdominal fat increased the risk of chronic pains in men by about 34% (compared to more than 100% in women).

Considering the massive data size, it would be right to say that the study was quite reliable. However, it could not answer some critical questions. For example, some researchers say that there is a dual-sided relationship between pain and central obesity. It means that chronic pain also causes excessive abdominal fat deposition. Secondly, the study did not explore the causes of the mechanism behind the relationship.

Although much still remains to be understood, this study confirms that researchers have long believed that obesity, especially with high abdominal fat accumulation, is bad for metabolic health, causes a higher level of metabolic inflammation, and is associated with a greater risk of a range of health conditions.

This study further highlights the complex nature of chronic pain. It shows that metabolic disorders might also be the cause of widespread chronic pains. Hence, managing chronic pain with painkillers may not provide optimal results. In those experiencing widespread chronic pain, it is also vital to focus on treating metabolic disorders.

Source:

Kifle, Z. D., Tian, J., Aitken, D., Melton, P. E., Cicuttini, F., Jones, G., & Pan, F. (2024). MRI-derived abdominal adipose tissue is associated with multisite and widespread chronic pain. Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/rapm-2024-105535