Heart Health: It's All About Your Weight

Obesity and heart disease are closely related.  While people may understand the link between heart attacks and obesity intellectually; they may not fully comprehend the risk they are taking by remaining overweight. The first step toward insuring a healthy heart for anyone is maintaining an appropriate body weight.

Statistics show that men and women now have equal risks of being obese. The rise in obesity is due to the sedentary nature of the modern lifestyle and the prevalence of fast foods in society.  Severe weight problems tend to appear between the ages of 55 and 64 when 71% of women and 79% of men begin to fight the battle of the bulge. Teenagers have only a 27 to 31 percent chance of being obese although these numbers continue to worsen as childhood obesity grows in the United States.

Overweight people are more susceptible to heart attacks because of the high level of fat in their system.  A person with a BMI value of 30 and above is clinically considered obese and is at risk for a coronary incident.  An obese person also has a greater chance of developing hypertension or high blood pressure. Although a common condition, if left untreated high blood pressure will cause the heart to over work and will weaken the heart muscle. The blood vessels will have a tendency to harden, raising the chances for a blood clot to form, which in turn increases the risk for a heart attack or stroke.

The path to a healthier heart is to begin to make lifestyle changes that will help shed the extra pounds. This means not just eating less, but eating better and developing a healthy exercise regimen.