Jeremy Clarkson shocked fans last month after revealing a heart scare left him 'days away from death'. 

But new videos published on Instagram this week to promote his Amazon Prime series Clarkson's Farm have sparked fresh concern over the 64-year-old's health. 

The Grand Tour presenter, who was forced to have a stent fitted to relieve his chest pain, sported a visible beer belly. 

The dangers of carrying excess fat around the middle — known as abdominal obesity — include a raised risk of type 2 diabetes, liver disease and heart attacks.

Research has also shown that 'dad bods' and 'muffin tops' are a sign a person is more likely to develop heart disease.

And in one US study, scientists discovered that people whose waist is bigger than their hips may be at twice the risk of a deadly heart attack. 

Participants who were otherwise skinny but abdominal obesity had a two-fold risk of suffering an adverse heart event compared to those with slim waists.

Study co-author and cardiology expert in at the Mayo Clinic, Dr Jose Medina-Inojosa, added: 'People with a fat belly have more chance of heart problems than people without a fat belly, even if they are obese according to BMI.

'This body shape indicates a sedentary lifestyle, low muscle mass, and eating too many refined carbohydrates.

'The belly is usually the first place we deposit fat, so people classified as overweight BMI but without a fat belly probably have more muscle which is good for health.' 

Another 2022 study, also concluded that people with excess fat around the body's mid-section were also at increased risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

The term is used for a range of conditions caused by a build-up of fat in the liver which can cause damage to the organ. 

Having high levels of fat in your liver is also associated with an increased risk of serious health problems, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney disease.

Exploring the best way to lose the abdominal fat, the scientists discovered that 150 minutes of physical activity a week was sufficient to reduce belly fat, without reducing fat from other areas of the body.  

But experts have also long urged people to be cautious when attempting to rid themselves of excess abdominal fat. 

One, you-yo dieting — losing weight rapidly only to pile it all back on again — is linked to its own set of health concerns, including hormone imbalances and osteoporosis. 

A 2022 US study also found yo-yo dieting could raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes later in life as repeated weight loss and gain worsened heart and kidney function.

Clarkson first revealed his heart health concerns in his Sunday Times column last month admitting to undergoing emergency surgery after he began feeling unwell on holiday.

When he returned to his Cotswolds farm following his trip abroad, he said he became 'clammy', felt 'a tightness in [his] chest' and had 'pins and needles' in his left arm.

After seeking medical help The Who Wants To Be A Millionaire host was told by doctors a potentially fatal heart attack was 'maybe' days away, and he had a stent fitted to keep the arteries open. 

He said the operation took around two hours and 'at one point it felt like he's put a Hoover pipe up may arm, along with a pile driver, and was busy inside my heart with a B&Q chisel and hammer gift set'. 

Earlier this year, alarming data revealed that premature deaths from cardiovascular problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, had hit their highest level in more than a decade.

MailOnline has previously highlighted how the number of young people in England being treated for heart attacks by the NHS is on the rise. 

Cases of heart attacks, heart failure and strokes among the under-75s have tumbled since the 1960s. 

This is thanks to falling smoking rates and breakthroughs such as stents and cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins.

However in January the British Heart Foundation warned that rates were rising again, and had hit a 14-year-high.

Latest figures show that in 2022, over 39,000 people in England died prematurely of cardiovascular conditions including heart attacks and stroke – an average of 750 people each week.

Rising obesity rates, slow ambulance response times for suspected heart attacks and strokes, and long waits for tests and treatment have been blamed.