Obesity And Heart Disease: The Heart Of The Matter
Since we just wrapped up heart health month, our team thought it is the perfect time to have a heart-to-heart talk about heart health and how you can better achieve and maintain it.
Over the past several decades, obesity has become an ever-increasing problem in the United States. Every year, millions of all genders and from all walks of life of overweight people search for ways to lose weight and keep it off. Most of us struggle to maintain a healthy weight, waist circumference, and BMI for a combination of aesthetic and health reasons.
Among the top health reasons people strive to lose weight and maintain a healthy weight is to improve heart health. For those of us moving into our 50s, we need to combat excess weight for healthy aging today and for the rest of our lives, focusing largely on our heart health. The Cleveland Clinic shares that one in three Americans is obese and that obesity and excess weight link to risks for developing various cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary artery disease and stroke.
With all that in mind, if you struggle with obesity or any amount of excess weight, it's time to take heart and action. Let's start by learning more about heart disease and how weight is a significant factor in keeping your heart healthily pumping oxygen-rich blood to all your vital organs.
What Is Heart Disease?
Also referred to as coronary artery disease (CAD), heart disease refers to several types of less-than-optimal heart conditions, which are often dangerous and detrimental. CAD is the most common heart ailment, negatively impacting blood flow to the heart, potentially leading to decreased blood flow that can cause a heart attack.
Different Types of Heart Disease
While coronary artery disease is the most frequently occurring type of heart disease, there are several others you should understand. Here are a few to note and consider as you work toward building heart-healthy attitudes.
Arrhythmia
Arrhythmia presents with an irregular or abnormal heartbeat, according to MedBroadcast. One's heart can beat more slowly or rapidly than the standard resting heart rate. Sinus arrhythmias are not uncommon among obese patients. While they are not life-threatening, they serve as a mild warning that something is amiss, particularly pertaining to any excess weight.
Heart Failure or Congestive Heart Failure
Heart failure, or congestive heart failure, results from the heart's inability to pump an ample supply of essential, oxygen-rich blood to the body. Due to a lack of sufficient force, the heart cannot effectively pump enough blood to vital organs.
The American Diabetic Association's Diabetes Care Journal reports that congestive heart failure is often magnified in people with type 2 diabetes at a rate of two to five times greater than individuals in the general population. While there is no concrete evidence that type 2 diabetes is a direct result of obesity, there are strong ties, notes the Obesity Action Community (OAC). The fact that overweight and obese people can control and sometimes reverse type 2 diabetes is strong anecdotal evidence of the tie between obesity and diabetes. More medical professionals encourage eating heart healthy foods and fitness for older adults to lose weight, control diabetes and avoid increasing risk of congestive heart failure.
Cardiomyopathy or Heart Muscle Disease
This type of heart disease causes an enlargement of the heart, thickening the walls, thus slowing efficient blood flow throughout the body. Obesity plays a role directly because of its inflammatory components and indirectly because of obesity-induced hypertension, adding undue pressure to the heart muscle.
Heart Disease Facts and Figures
The facts, figures and statistics regarding heart disease can help you see this disease in action and why it is critical to stay ahead of it and keep everything in good order. Here are a few key facts and figures via the CDC to consider regarding heart disease:
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. While many think that cancer or other diseases cause the most death, heart disease is a massive silent killer that is often preventable through lifestyle changes.
One in four deaths per year results from some heart disease, equating to 655,000 deaths annually.
In 2017, about half the heart disease-related deaths were associated with CAD.
Around 18 million adults, 20 and over, live with CAD.
Many times, heart attacks are silent, meaning people suffer a heart attack and remain unaware of the event and the damage incurred until a later date when it has become more serious and more difficult to treat.
Heart Disease and Women
Heart disease is the leading killer among women. However, having this information available for several years, many women don't fully comprehend heart disease risks and prevention. The CDC shares that only 56% of women recognize heart disease as the number one killer. Unfortunately, you can factor weight-related and obesity issues into the mix for women and heart disease.
According to WebMD, the correlation between body shape and heart disease is strong. The increasingly common belly fat in women carrying extra weight has become known as having an "apple shape." Carrying weight in this area is especially risky because our vital organs, including our heart, are stored there, raising women's risk for developing heart disease. This particular fat distribution levels the field among men and women for developing heart disease since the apple shape is more common among men.
Since an apple shape predisposes people to diabetes, it is vital to control your health as a woman or man prone to this body shape.
Heart Disease and Men
Heart disease is the leading cause of death for all men in various racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. Most frustrating for men is that, even if you experience no symptoms or warning signs, you may still be at risk for heart disease. However, carrying extra weight increases your chances of having to tangle with this disease.
The main risk factors for men developing heart disease include:
Excess weight gain and obesity
Diabetes
Unhealthy diet
Lack of exercise and fitness
Excessive alcohol consumption
Increasing fitness for adults and eating heart healthy foods are two essential ways to fight excess weight and the diseases that gladly accompany it.
Heart Disease and Aging
As we age, everything starts to slow down and weaken to a degree. That doesn't mean we give up and let any disease take over, especially not heart disease, since it is within our power to maintain good heart health, outside hereditary and congenital concerns.
That said, heart disease is clearly a leading cause of death for women and men of all races. Our heart already works hard and during the aging process, it has to work harder, compensating for clogged arteries, which raises blood pressure. All this without the consideration of possible excess weight or obesity. Add a few-to-50 pounds or more of excess weight, and you will likely see a negative impact on your quality of life.
Between aging arteries, thickening ventricles, slowly-closing mitral valves and lowering sitting heart rates, your heart has enough to manage without having to compensate for excess pounds you can and must shed with the right attitude and strategy. Fortunately, there are plans and support systems available to you, so you can keep your heart healthy for years to come to enjoy a long life with your grandchildren, significant other, exploring the world and anything else left on your life's to-do list.
What Is Obesity?
According to the Mayo Clinic, obesity is a complex disease involving and resulting in excess body fat. It occurs in men and women of all ages and ethnic and racial backgrounds. While a few excess pounds might be seen as a slight issue and cosmetic concern, obesity goes far beyond those issues, affecting one's overall health, lifestyle and attitude toward life. Common diseases associated with or resulting from obesity include heart disease, diabetes, high blood sugar, fatty liver and certain cancers.
Referring to today's obesity numbers as an epidemic is no understatement. Nationwide, nearly two out of three U.S. adults report weights that fall in the category of overweight or obese. That translates to 69% of adults with some degree of excess weight, which certainly qualifies as an epidemic.
Why Is Obesity on the Rise?
The numbers are clear that we collectively and often individually struggle with weight in the U.S. The reason why is a strange combination of clear and mysterious. The variables associated with excess weight and obesity include for our modern society include:
Our convenience-based society allows for less movement. The car, computer, elevator and other conveniences have given us the ability to take the easy way out instead of using our body as intended.
Our access to cheap, processed food is greater than ever with fast-food shops everywhere and the increasing ability to order fast-food via delivery services. Salty, fatty, sugary foods surround us via car, phone or mobile app 24/7.
Our busy lifestyles seem counterintuitive to all our conveniences, but we work longer hours and focus less on healthy eating.
Our lack of physical activity overall means we consume unhealthy foods, deal with stress from long work hours and don't move our bodies enough to burn calories and reduce stress.
However, we can combat these issues if we find ourselves subject to them. We need to build self-awareness about our expanding waistlines and how they can turn to obesity or increased obesity and disease without our best efforts.
Why Is It More Difficult to Control Weight as We Age?
Losing weight after 50 often feels frustrating and downright elusive for the most committed among us. We feel like we're fighting an uphill, losing battle. We often feel hungry and exhausted while still lugging around extra pounds, worrying that we are or will soon damage our hearts.
If you carry extra weight or are obese, you are not alone. Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute (HPI) reports that around 15 million older American adults over 51 are obese. It makes sense that, even as we age, we are susceptible to modern conveniences and the other factors that contribute to obesity. On top of that, our metabolism is taking or has taken a nosedive.
The HPI article continues its discussion that obesity is a risk for many chronic conditions that can further complicate our weight loss and overall health goals. HPI notes that it is associated with four of the 10 leading causes of death in the U.S., including coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes. Further, obesity reduces the quality of life for older people who report limited activity and more feelings of hopelessness and sadness than their healthy counterparts. The decline in life quality greatly diminishes for those ages 50 to 69 when obese.
Weight Loss for Women Over 50
It seems like turning 50 should be the time of your life when your children become adults, starting their own lives and families. Or maybe it's a time when you start counting the years and days to retirement when you can travel, start your own business, or spend your days gardening or at the beach. In each of these imagined goals, you probably don't imagine yourself carrying 20, 50 or 100 extra pounds. No one does. You want to become or stay a healthy and vibrant woman moving into the true prime of her life.
Unfortunately for obese older women, life often becomes a non-stop bout with illness, injury, disease and a poor outlook on life. Imagine trying to babysit active grandchildren or breeze through the airport with extra weight, a heart ailment and decreasing bone density. It would become a constant struggle to get up and move to do daily basics.
Fortunately, there is plenty you can do to increase weight loss for women, and the best part is it will feel great once you commit, get started, and see and feel results.
Here are a few tips to get you going:
Identify your general target weight range, based on your height and age. Mighty Health can help you do that and get you started on a fitness regimen to lose excess weight. You don't need to obsess over hitting a goal precisely or even hitting the lower end of the range, but it gives you a general idea of where you want to land within a healthy weight range.
Drink plenty of water while eating hydration-rich fruits and vegetables.
Eat healthy foods, including lean proteins, healthy fats and vitamin-rich vegetables and fruits.
Get active and stay active with regular walking, bicycling or swimming regimen for cardiovascular health. Don't forget to add weights to support your bone density and muscle to boost your metabolism.
Weight Loss for Men Over 50
Men have many of the same goals heading into the 50s decade. You are probably fantasizing about immersing yourself in passions and hobbies, such as focusing on home and landscaping improvements, buying a boat and spending more time fishing, going to grandchildren's sporting events, and getting ready for retirement after years of hard work.
Again, this time is far more enriching and enjoyable at a healthy weight and without the looming concerns and fear of heart disease, high cholesterol, hypertension or type 2 diabetes that accompanies excess weight for older adult men.
The recommendations for losing weight after 50 for men are similar to those for women and include:
Determine your current weight and BMI, and eat a healthy diet to reach your desired weight and BMI.
Drink plenty of water to rehydrate.
Eat a varied diet rich in lean meats, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables.
Exercise regularly, including a moderate cardiovascular regimen that includes walking, jogging, bicycling, swimming or rowing.
Weight loss and fitness for older adults is much easier than it might seem before getting started. Once you do, you'll feel and look better and enjoy a broader horizon heading into your golden years.
Heart Disease, Weight Distribution and BMI
As we touched on earlier, you can't discount your body's composition when you carry excess weight or are obese and at this point, you get the message that obesity can take several negative tolls on your heart health. But there's more to the story. A 2018 study revealed that adults between the ages of 40 and 59 who are obese or overweight have a significantly greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease than those with a normal bodyweight. Further, those with a BMI of greater than 30, placing them into the obese range, can result in the development of cardiovascular disease at a younger age, leaving you trying to catch up to good health in your 50s while already at risk for problems. Research shows that obese individuals face a shorter lifespan, no matter when heart disease begins to manifest.
How Does Weight Affect the Heart?
Weight plays a significant role in healthy heart function. Excess weight endangers your heart health in the following ways:
Increased high blood pressure instances are a risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, and sudden cardiac death.
Heightened risk of high cholesterol, which plays a part in the development of heart disease.
Enhanced risk of developing type 2 diabetes is another factor in heart disease, particularly congestive heart failure.
Activated fat cells in the abdominal area cause inflammation in your body that poses more heart disease risks.
Lose Weight, Get Healthy and Reduce Heart Disease Risk With Strong Support
The path to healthy aging, reduced obesity and heart health is clear. It isn't always getting started losing weight after 50, especially if you feel like you are doing it on your own and have a long, tough row to hoe. It might help if you find a community of peers and professional trainers and nutritionists there to support you through it all.
The Mighty Health app offers you plenty of support, including top cardiologists, nutrition experts and personal training coaches. Our team wants to make the process easier for you to get healthy, stay healthy and enjoy life in your 50s and beyond.
