Heart Health For Her

Patients who are obese have a better chance of survival after a heart attack than those who are slim. This was the surprising finding of a recent study carried out in people who had suffered a heart attack. Obesity is a risk factor for developing heart disease in the first place so the results were quite surprising. Several researchers have found that the number of normal weight patients who died after 1 year was at least double that of those who were obese and they are struggling to figure out why. They’re working with several theories:

• the hearts of obese patient have compensated for the extra strain put on them by becoming stronger
• where the fat is deposited in the body may determine how well the heart has adjusted to the extra strain
• obese people can increase their chances of survival by losing weight, an option which isn’t available for thin patients

This may sound like the ideal excuse to be overweight but it isn’t. Obese people are more likely to develop heart disease in the first place. They are also more likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes and cancer. Losing weight through lifestyle changes is definitely a good idea.