VAT-TRAP Archives | Page 3 of 8 | Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic

The SCVC Blog

Cardiovascular care news and articles from our expert team

Examples of CT VAT scans and normal ranges for VATI

At SCVC we use low dose CT to measure visceral adipose tissue (VAT). With a radiation dose of 1mSv - equivalent to 1/4 of the dose used in a mammogram. The test determines what proportion of an expanded waistline is visceral (metabolically dangerous) versus subcutaneous (metabolically benign) fat. When combined with other anthropometrics such as weight, height, waist we use AI to calculate a metabolically healthy target waist and weight to aim for. A example of a repeat scan after 3 months of GLP-1 mimetic is also shown.

“ChatGPT Says My Thyroid Might Be Underactive… What Next?”

Some small studies show lower T3 inside fat tissue in people with obesity. This doesn’t mean systemic hypothyroidism — it simply suggests inflammation may reduce local T3 activation. Raised visceral fat quietly disrupts thyroid chemistry, increasing reverse T3 and lowering active T3 inside tissues.

THE CHOICE: How Cardiologists Operate GLP-1 Mimetics in Practice

Semaglutide’s cardiovascular benefits extend beyond weight loss — it powerfully reduces visceral adipose tissue (VAT), the internal fat that drives inflammation, insulin resistance and small dense LDL. At SCVC, our GLP-1 programme targets VAT directly using personalised VAT scans and flexible dosing to improve long-term heart health.

What Your Glucose Curve Is Trying to Tell You: Why Continuous Glucose Monitoring Matters Long Before Diabetes

At Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic, we have seen a pattern: some people whose blood sugar (HbA₁c) is technically “normal” are quietly drifting towards diabetes. Their blood tests look fine — but their day-to-day glucose readings tell another story.

Overview: What Keto and Atkins Diets Do

The keto and Atkins diets have profound effects on hepatic lipid metabolism, and hence on LDL cholesterol handling. Let’s unpack this carefully through the lens of the endogenous cholesterol pathway.

MASLD/MASH -metabolic dysfunction -associated steatotic liver disease: What You Need to Know

MASLD is a silent but important marker of metabolic health and another consequence of raised Visceral Adipose Tissue (VAT). Although often discovered by chance, it carries significant implications for both liver and cardiovascular wellbeing. Through caloric restriction, physical activity, improved nutrition, and early intervention, MASLD can usualy be stabilised or reversed — protecting not just the liver, but the heart as well.

Why Some People With “Normal” Cholesterol Still Get Heart Disease

Small dense LDL (sdLDL) is the most harmful form of “bad cholesterol.” It forms when the liver overproduces VLDL — often driven by visceral fat and high insulin levels. Visceral fat sits deep around the organs and feeds directly into the liver, causing early metabolic disruption long before blood tests detect it.

Cholesterol, LDL, and what we learnt from PCSK9 mutations in familial hypercholesterolaemia

PCSK9 binds to LDL receptors and directs them to be destroyed within the cell, rather than allowing them to recycle to the surface. When too much PCSK9 is present, fewer LDL receptors remain available to clear LDL from the blood. The result is simple: LDL levels rise. When that happens, the liver compensates by making even more cholesterol internally. This is why around 90% of the cholesterol in your blood is made by your liver, not absorbed from your diet.

Why HIIT Gets Rid of Visceral Fat — The Science Behind Anaerobic Exercise

HIIT interrupts this cycle by dramatically improving insulin sensitivity and glucose uptake in skeletal muscle — particularly in the large lower-limb muscles of the thighs and glutes. A single 20-minute session of HIIT can activate GLUT-4 transporters in muscle cells for up to 24–48 hours, drawing glucose out of the bloodstream and away from storage in the liver and visceral fat depots.

Intervention programmes: from self-toolkits to nurse-led escalation to GLP-1 support

At Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic, we move beyond detecting risk to delivering a tiered, personalised framework for metabolic and cardiovascular prevention. Using real-time tools like CGM, the DoctorShape app, imaging, and nurse-led coaching, we help patients reduce visceral adipose tissue, improve insulin sensitivity, and restore metabolic health through lifestyle-first, data-guided care.

Transforming metabolic health: cardiometabolic services at Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic

At Surrey Cardiovascular Clinic, we focus on preventing heart disease by tackling its metabolic roots early. Using advanced imaging, metabolic phenotyping, CGM, and tailored lifestyle or pharmacological interventions, we help patients reduce visceral adipose tissue (VAT), improve insulin sensitivity, and shift from risk to resilience through precision, feedback-driven cardiometabolic care.

UK Cholesterol, Apo B, LDL-C Targets

Small dense LDL (sdLDL) particles are the most atherogenic type of LDL. They are smaller and heavier, stay in the bloodstream longer and more likely to oxidise and enter artery walls. High sdLDL is typical of metabolic syndrome, diabetes, and high triglyceride states linked to visceral fat.Because sdLDL testing is specialised, the ApoB level and the LDL-C : ApoB ratio can be used to estimate particle size predominance: