The incidence of stroke has been rising in the US mainly due to an increase in the incidence of stroke in middle aged women. The main culprit is abdominal obesity according to recent research. The incidence of stroke between the ages of 35 and 54 years is twice as high in women as it is in men.
For some reason, abdominal obesity has a much greater impact on stroke in women than it does on men. This means that women need to be especially careful about their weight, especially in middle age and especially those that have risk factors which increase their risk of developing strokes.
Obese middle-aged women more likely to have stroke
March 16, 2008 By
Heart attack survival better for obese patients
July 23, 2007 By Leave a Comment
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.