How Does Obesity Affect My Heart Health?
- Obesity can lead to many diseases, one of the greatest concerns is your heart.
- High blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes are all known risk factors for heart disease, and the more of these risk factors you have, the higher your risk for heart disease.
- People with severe obesity have almost four times the risk of developing heart failure than those with an ideal body weight.
- Talk to your Doctor.
Heart Failure
- Obesity leads to heart failure in several ways. More body fat leads to higher blood volume, which in turn makes your heart work harder. This causes harmful changes in the heart’s structure and function that can eventually lead to heart failure.
- Heart failure is a very serious condition that not only impairs your quality of life, but also threatens your life.
- People who suffer from heart failure feel short of breath and are unable to perform their usual daily activities. They tend to accumulate excessive fluid in their bodies, which leads to swelling around the ankles.
Losing Weight
Losing weight isn’t easy. But here are a few encouraging facts.
- Talk to your Doctor first!!
- Any weight loss is beneficial. In fact, sustained weight loss of 3 to 5 percent of your body weight can decrease your (LDL) the bad cholesterol, as well as blood glucose levels. Greater weight loss can lead to a drop in blood pressure and increase in (HDL) the good cholesterol and may help decrease the number of medications you need. There’s even some evidence that weight loss may help reverse some of the abnormal heart function and damage associated with obesity.
- Be active. Physical activity can help you lose weight. Even if you don’t lose weight, physical activity may still prevent some of the bad health outcomes that come with obesity.
- Current guidelines from the American Heart Association recommend a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate or vigorous physical activity per week. Moderate physical activities can include brisk walking, water aerobics or gardening. Vigorous physical activities can include swimming laps, jogging or hiking up a hill.
- A variety of weight-loss resources are available, from nutritional counseling to group interventions. With the growing pace of mobile technology, freely available apps can help you track calories, keep up with your physical activity and maintain your motivation.
