How Being Overweight Increases The Risk Of Heart Disease?

Obesity, or being overweight, is very common nowadays. One out of every three adults in the United States suffers from obesity. Being overweight highly increases the risk of heart disease. It may also cause many other problems. 

The area of your body also affects the risk of heart disease. Even if you are not overweight overall, but you have a larger waistline, you are likely to be at risk. If your body fat is accumulated around your middle, close to the heart, it makes a great difference for you and your health. 

Body Mass Index (BMI) of the body affects the risk of heart disease greatly. BMI is a measurement of the ratio between weight and height of the body. The higher the BMI, the more you are at risk. If your BMI indicates that you are overweight, the chances are that you are likely to develop cardiovascular diseases.   

Risk factors of cardiovascular disease

Research says that being overweight is an independent adaptable risk factor of cardiovascular disease. People with a BMI greater than 30 are likely to live lesser than people who are not overweight. Being overweight, particularly near the center or the abdomen, leads to a higher risk of heart disease.    

Obesity also leads to many other cardiovascular diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol. These are the risk factors that are adjustable to the amount of weight gained or lost. All the risk factors independently increase or decrease the risks of developing coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, or suffering from a heart attack or even a stroke. 

Modifying your life accordingly, such as improving diet and exercise, together with medicines, can control the risk of heart disease. Also, people who are overweight and smoke have a very high chance of developing heart diseases. It is important for an obese smoker to quit smoking first in order to reduce his chances of developing heart diseases. 

Some non-modifiable risk factors of having heart disease cannot be altered by anyone, such as family history and age. Men older than 45 years of age and women over 55 years are likely to suffer from heart diseases. Genetic history is also very significant, especially in young people. People with family members who suffered from heart diseases at an early age are at greater risk.  

How does obesity affect the heart?

Obesity is a leading factor in heart disease and various other cardiac issues. Many changes occur in the heart of a person who is overweight. Usually, the flow and circulation of the blood are increased that may cause fluid retention. Eventually, it can cause the heart to go through volume overload, putting pressure on its working ability. 

More weight means more pressure on the body that can lead to cardiac arrest. When the heart is overloaded with pressure, the left side of the heart gets thicker and larger. This results in heart failure, fatal heart rhythms, or in some cases, sudden death. 

Loose connective tissue, commonly known as the adipose tissue, further promotes the chance of having atherosclerosis. In atherosclerosis, the arteries are hardened and can cause inflammation. A hormone, leptin, is produced, which triggers inflammation. This can, sooner or later, damage the heart cells and replace them with fat cells. 

Another complication of being overweight is sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is sensed if a person complains of daytime sleepiness, snoring at night, or in rare cases, they may stop breathing. The disease badly affects the heart, and the victim is at great risk of heart disease. 

What is bariatric surgery, and how does it prevent heart disease?

Weight loss is primarily significant in order to prevent heart diseases. Bariatric surgery is famous for bringing about a great change in body weight. It helps lose weight that ultimately results in increased metabolism and low blood volume. Due to this, your blood pressure drops, and the load of pumping blood in the heart is greatly reduced. Moreover, weight loss decreases the size and thickness of the walls of the left ventricle. 

Weight loss alone can prevent a lot of problems related to the heart. Blood pressure, cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, and more can all be prevented just by losing some weight and maintaining a healthy BMI. In some cases, even medications provided by consultants might not work. 

Bariatric surgery is a safe procedure even for people who have suffered from heart diseases earlier. There is rarely any difference between mortality or cardiac diseases in people with or without heart disease. However, people who are obese or have a family history of cardiac problems are at a much greater risk of heart disease and might have to undergo bariatric surgery. 

If you work on preventing the risk factors, you would obviously be at a safer place. But it is not always 100 percent true that a person who has undergone bariatric surgery is always safe. He or she might face any problem connected to cardiac diseases. There is still more to be researched whether bariatric surgery is a permanent cure or not. 

Does losing weight improve heart health?

Many studies show that losing weight can actually improve your heart health and prevent various cardiac risk factors. Controlling and maintaining a healthy weight can benefit your heart health in a way that it would benefit you in the long run. 

A healthy diet and regular exercise is very important for everyone and especially people who are overweight. Changing your diet to lose weight is a very effective form of losing weight. Cutting down on foods which increase cholesterol and blood pressure is important. Also, weight loss is maintained by exercising regularly.

Even losing about five to ten percent of your overall weight can have significant changes in your health. It improves the lipid profiles and also lowers your blood pressure. Additionally, greater weight loss improves diabetes status and also insulin sensitivity. 

Conclusion

It is now clear to us that obesity is the main cause that leads to a risk of heart disease. People who are overweight are likely to suffer from cardiac issues than people who have a healthy weight. People with a higher BMI tend to go through more medical tests, hospital visits, and require more medications. Hence, it is better than everyone should try and maintain an appropriate weight in order to avoid any health problems that one can face.