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Obesity
and Cardiovascular Disease - closely connected
CVD
or Cardiovascular disease, as it is more popularly known, shares
a close link with Obesity. Increasing weight is a strong determinant
of not one but many diseases and cardiovascular disease pose as
a major threat among them. A direct offspring of coronary artery
disease is again high blood pressure and high cholesterol, two
of the most severe health adversities that affect health and mortality
in a massive way. Research teams which have been tracking the
relation between obesity and cardiovascular disease strongly assert
that the risk of sudden strokes and heart attacks are much more
in individuals who are obese or have a higher BMI (Body Mass Index)
count.
What is obesity?
Obesity, in layman's terms, refers to the condition of being overweight.
Some consider it as a prevalent metabolic disorder that has been
successful in invading the health conditions of not only Americans
but the worldwide population, thanks to the erratic lifestyles
and eating disorders. Obesity however must be determined in accordance
with a person's body frame and since this is highly arbitrary
in nature and can easily vary from person to person, a better
term, BMI, is often considered as a more favorable option for
measuring the excessive adipose tissues in a body. Obesity therefore
is a general term which is used to refer to excess weight in individuals.
Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease
Until recently, the link between these two was considered to be
somewhat indirect and both were considered to be separate health
conditions which shared some symptoms that seemed to be common,
namely, hypertension, reduction in the levels of the good cholesterol
or HDL, weakened glucose intolerance etc. Most of these conditions
were thought to be occurring as an indirect effect of increasing
BMI. More recent researches however establish that there is a
direct relation between obesity and cardiovascular disease and
excess body fat independently affects the heart condition in a
major way.
Coronary conditions of both sexes are found to be affected by
body fat percentage and studies indicate that women (mostly middle-aged)
having a BMI greater than 23 but less than 25 are at 50% greater
risk of high impact/low impact CVD and the same is applicable
for the opposite sex too, as men aged between 40-65, having a
BMI reading greater than 25 but below 29, face a 72% higher risk
of cardio vascular diseases.
Weight reduction, therefore is seen as a major initiative, which
can prevent cardiovascular diseases from affecting the heart of
an obese person.
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