Fat that accumulates around muscles, below the fascia (the tissue that separates muscles), and between muscle fibers is called intermuscular fat; it puts you at increased risk for chronic inflammation, heart disease, heart attack, and stroke — even if you aren't diagnosed with obesity.

That's because intermuscular fat damages microvessels that affect blood flow to heart tissue.

According to a study out of Brigham and Women's Hospital, being able to spot that accumulation of fat and damage to microvessels using PET and CT scans gives doctors another way to intervene and protect your heart.

But an even better approach is for you to prevent over-accumulation of intermuscular fat. Here’s how you can do that:

• If you become less physically active — or never were — you accumulate more intermuscular fat. Getting aerobic exercise is important, but resistance training is especially protective.

• Developing insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes also increases the accumulation of intermuscular fat. If you have either condition, it's even more important to adopt lifestyle and medical remedies that reverse the conditions.

• A diet high in red meat, processed red meats, highly processed foods, added sugars, and excess calories — and low in fiber and 100% whole grains — leads to accumulation of intermuscular fat. Eating a Mediterranean-style diet is beneficial.

• Achieving a healthy weight is also effective. But you need to adopt regular exercise and healthy nutrition routines for it to reduce your risk of heart attack and stroke.

For more help, check out our book "You: The Owner's Manual (updated)."