It’s long been known that obesity is more likely to lead to conditions such as high blood pressure or diabetes, which in turn can lead to heart disease. Heart’s health is affected by being overweight. This important organ must work harder to pump blood as a result, other health issues like diabetes and lung troubles are also brought on by it.
It also triggers inflammatory processes that can damage the cardiovascular system and can lead to structural or functional changes in the heart itself. Other medical disorders are linked to an elevated cardiovascular risk (hypertension, diabetes, insulin resistance, and sleep apnea syndrome). Atherosclerosis and coronary artery disease are both significantly impacted by obesity.
Some of the health problems that an obese person may develop are:
- Blood Pressure: Obesity leads to larger blood volumes compared to people with normal weight range. Heart needs to pump higher amount of blood which in turn puts much pressure on the hearts functioning leading to damages.
- Type 2 diabetes: The body insulin used to control blood sugar levels are affected by obesity which raises the risk of insulin resistance and diabetes.
- Heart Disease and Stroke: Obesity increases the risk of high blood pressure and abnormal cholesterol levels. Both condition leads to heart disease or stroke more likely.
- Osteoarthritis: Obesity increases the stress on the joints that bear the weight of the body and also stimulates inflammation in the body. These factors leads to complications such as osteoarthritis.
- Sleep Apnea: Sleep apnea is a breathing disorder caused due to obesity. It can cause a person to snore heavily and stop breathing briefly during sleep. Sleep apnea can cause daytime sleepiness and increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.
Obesity and Risk of Heart Issues
Increased body fat may also be a direct cause of the following heart-related changes:
- Atherosclerosis
- Enlargement of the left atrium (swelling of the left side of your heart).
- Hypertrophy of the left ventricle (LVH).
Risk of having an irregular heartbeat is also increased by obesity (atrial fibrillation). Blood clots caused due to this can result in strokes, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Heart diseases caused due to obesity can be a leading cause of death, though not inevitable.
Some of the ways to reduce the risk of it are:
- Stop Smoking: The heart and blood arteries can be harmed by the chemicals in cigarettes. Due to smoking the heart needs to pump harder to supply adequate oxygen to the body and brain, nicotine causes the blood’s oxygen content to decrease, which raises blood pressure and heart rate. Avoiding the use tobacco products, including smokeless tobacco, is one of the finest things to do for the heart.
- Physical Exercise: Regular exercise can reduce the risk of developing heart disease; weight can be controlled by exercise. Additionally, it lowers the risk of acquiring additional illnesses including high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and type 2 diabetes that could strain the heart.
- Heart – healthy diet: A nutritious diet can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes, lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and protect the heart. An eating regimen for heart health includes vegetables and fruits, beans, whole grains, lean meats and fish, low fat, and fat free dairy foods etc. Saturated and processed foods need to be avoided in a greater level to stay away from the risk of heart problems.
- Reduce stress: Some people use harmful coping mechanisms to deal with stress, such as binge eating, drinking excessively, or smoking. Your health can be enhanced by finding more effective stress-reduction techniques, such as exercise, relaxation techniques, or meditation.
- Good Sleep: Lack of sleep increases the risk of obesity, high blood pressure, heart attacks, diabetes, and depression in individuals. Adults typically require at least seven hours of sleep per night. Make getting enough sleep a top priority