Anorexia to Obesity- Impact of Weight on Heart

Anorexia to Obesity: Impact of Weight on Heart
It is everyman’s knowledge that being overweight is not good for
the heart. No one knows that being severely below normal weight
is equally bad. The heart and body weight are intricately
related. Heart disease can occur in those with anorexia and even
cause death. This article attempts to explain this relationship.
Impact of Heavy Body Weight on the Heart
This has always been a favorite topic. Increase of body weight
causes an increase in blood pressure. Cholesterol levels are also
known to increase, especially the triglycerides. At the same time,
HDL is low and this is an important factor in the occurrence of
heart disease.
If you are obese, there is a fair chance that you will get diabetes
which is yet another risk factor for developing heart disease. Fat
cells in the abdomen are metabolically active and are a cause of
inflammation in the body and this measured as the amount of C
reactive protein (CRP) in the body. The higher the CRP value, the
higher the chance of heart disease.
All these factors put together, high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, inflammation, and diabetes are a deadly combination
that causes physical abnormalities typical of heart disease.
Being Underweight – Causes of Heart Disease
This is very difficult to believe. Medical research points to the fact
that there is a chance of heart disease when a person is severely
underweight. Though it seems highly unlikely that these two are
related, a person that has a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18
is likely to be sick already. They are also likely to be nutritionally
compromised.
It is also a fact that weight loss is one, of the first signs of cancer.
Anorexic patients can have different diseases because of low
nutrition. It can, therefore be seen that low weight is an indirect
factor for the occurrence of heart disease.
BMI and Heart Disease – The Relationship
The healthiest value for BMI is any number between 20 and 25.
The risk of heart disease is increased with an increase in BMI. A
BMI of 25 to 30 or 30 to 35 runs a much higher risk for the
individual. However, BMI alone does not increase the risk. It is
also about where the weight is more in the body.
If an individual is apple-shaped and is carrying excess weight in
the abdomen, they have more chance of developing high blood
pressure and diabetes than another person that is carrying weight
around their hips and thighs.
Whereas overweight men tend to have an apple shape,
overweight women have a pear shape. Another factor that is as
important as BMI is, therefore, the waist-to-hip ratio. A higher
waist-to-hip ratio indicates a higher risk of heart disease.
Therefore, any amount of excess weight is unhealthy and more so
if the waist-to-hip ratio is higher.
Weight loss for Heart Health
Even a loss of 5 to 6 pounds of weight can lower the blood
pressure of an individual by 5 mm Hg. A 2 to 5 % of weight
reduction can raise HDL and simultaneously lessen triglycerides
by almost 20 percent. A small reduction in weight lowers the risk
for diabetes and blood pressure considerably.
It is important to acknowledge the fact that weight gain is gradual
and goes unnoticed. Therefore, it is important for the sake of
one’s health to shed the pounds at the earliest. Losing 2 to 5
pounds in a month is a reasonably easy task. Losing 20 to 30
pounds in a month may be unimaginable. At the end of it all, it is
vital to realize that you will enjoy better health if you control
weight gain in the first place. Prevention is better than cure.

It is everyman’s knowledge that being overweight is not good for the heart. No one knows that being severely below normal weight is equally bad. The heart and body weight are intricately related. Heart disease can occur in those with anorexia and even cause death. This article attempts to explain this relationship.

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