1.   Another effect of cortisol is to spur the accumulation of abdominal fat, which enhances the risk of heart disease.

2.   Abdominal fat in either sex has been linked to higher risks of heart disease and diabetes.

3.   Abdominal fat raises insulin levels in the blood and, at least in laboratory studies, insulin promotes the growth of breast cancer cells.

4.   Estrogen also reduces the accretion of abdominal fat, which is a risk factor for heart disease and a major source of cosmetic distress for many middle-aged women.

5.   For example, Hegle recently found a gene that affects the distribution of abdominal fat in men.

6.   He noted that injections of testosterone tended to reduce the waistlines of middle-aged men, and that a similar loss of abdominal fat occurred in men given growth hormone.

7.   If drug companies can create medications to turn off this enzyme, the researchers say, it might help men lose abdominal fat.

8.   Obesity, especially abdominal fat, is regarded as an independent risk factor for insulin resistance, as well as for diabetes and heart disease.

9.   Recent studies show correlations between abdominal fat and heart attacks.

10.   Researchers are not sure why abdominal fat poses a higher risk than fat elsewhere.