There is no doubt most people love to procrastinate doing exercise, especially when they have to lose some weight. “I will exercise at the start of the next episode” Oh! This time I must do some exercise” Of course, exercising is not the only way to help manage weight. Your healthy diet and proper portions are also considered when it comes to weight loss.
But, has it ever occurred to you that your heart health relates to your weight and that your heart-related problems are serious when you’re overweight? Or, you view weight loss as a sign of sickness. If you’re wondering about the connection between the two, then it’s time you change your attitude on losing weight because your heart health depends on it.
Get this right; your weight and risk of heart disease are connected. When you’re overweight, your chances of developing heart-related conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes, coronary thrombosis, and risk of cardiac arrests are high.
In this article, we’ll show you how excess weight is more than an accomplice to heart diseases. But first, it’s critical to learn the facts about heart-related conditions and weight loss.
Here are some of the heart disease you need to know
The heart has several abnormal conditions that affect the blood vessels. But the common ones are:
Coronary artery disease– caused by plaque building on the walls of the arteries supplying blood to the heart. The plaques cause blockage or narrowing of the arteries.
Heart failure– which is the inability of the heart to keep up with demands put on it efficiently. Many factors contribute to heart failure, with the obesity epidemic being one of them.
Arrhythmia– also known as irregular heartbeat. The condition where the heart either beats too fast or very slow.
Also, dilated cardiomyopathy and myocardial infarction, among other expensive medical conditions.
What is the relationship between your heart condition and your weight?
Your heart conditions and weight loss are closely linked. If you’re overweight or, for instance, have obesity, you’ll be at higher risk of heart diseases. And medical experts consider such conditions as significant risk factors to the coronary artery and heart attack and advice for first aid and CPR skills acquisition.
But, how is obesity/overweight a risk factor?
Being overweight would lead to the accumulation of fatty materials building in your arteries. This would result in blockage, reducing blood supply to the heart, which is a considerable risk for heart attack.
Also, if your arteries get clogged or blocked due to plaques, there would be not enough blood supplied to your brain, meaning there’s a chance of stroke or vascular dementia.
There is no doubt we need some fats in our body. However, having too many fats in our body isn’t good for our heart health. And it’s common for many people to worry about the subconscious fats (fats you can feel directly under your skin).
However, you’re at higher risk of heart disease due to the visceral fats that surround your internal organs like the heart and liver.
How?
Visceral fats affect how your hormones operate and may lead to raised blood cholesterol, increased blood pressure. And sometimes increase your risk of getting type 2 diabetes- of all which are closely linked to your heart or the circulatory system.
Overweight and type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a fatal health condition that requires continuous monitoring of a victim’s blood sugar. And carrying weight reduces the sugar movement up the cells. Meaning the cells would become less sensitive to any insulin rate released.
This causes insulin resistance which implies a high glucose level in your bloodstream that would block or damage your arteries. Thus an increased risk of heart diseases.
So, how do you know you’re overweight and need to reduce/control your weight?
There are two ways you can use to identify if you’re overweight:
- Know your Body Mass Index (BMI)
- Measure your waist circumference to know if you’re carrying too much fat.
What are some of the advantages of losing weight to your heart?
It may seem unpleasant to lose weight, and sometimes it’s not an easy task. But losing weight has more benefits than you can imagine. Here are a few:
Fewer blood clots
When blood flow slows down due to plaque or blockage, it can sometimes result in clots. However, a healthy weight would mean fewer blood clots. Therefore, ensure you slightly slim down so that you’re less likely to have a chunk.
Fewer blood fats
Shedding weight would mean you lower the level of blood lipids or blood fats. And that includes a reduced level of triglycerides (fat bound in the blood). A high level of triglycerides increases your risk of heart conditions.
Also, weight loss would lower your bad cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein) and increase your high-density lipoprotein- good cholesterol. This implies that there would be more good cholesterol with less bad ones in your bloodstream hence fewer blood fats.
Improves blood vessels functionality
When you lose weight, you reduce your heart workload as the blood vessels supplying the blood have to do so over the right-sized chambers. Shedding weight means leaning fats or plaque on the blood vessels, thus reduced chances of heart diseases.
Conclusion
Carrying weight can lead to severe health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, all of which would increase your chances of heart and circulatory diseases. Therefore, to avoid or reduce your chances of heart problems like heart attack, vascular dementia, and stroke, ensure you watch/control your weight.
