Obesity Increases The Risk Of Cardiovascular Diseases

A research was conducted by Lijing l. Yan, PhD., M.P.H., of the Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, and Peking University, China, and colleagues on the effects of overweigh during the early years of life with illness and death.

The Chicago Heart Association study conducted a survey and which included 17,643 men and women. They were studied from 31 year of age through 64 years. They did not suffer from congenital heart disease (CHD), diabetes, or other major heart problems. Follow up studies for these patients were done for 32 years.

Patients were classified under three categories: Low cardiovascular risk: systolic blood pressure-120 or less Diastolic blood pressure-80 mm Hg or less Serum total cholesterol level- less than 200 mg/dL, Non-smoking.

Moderate risk: non-smoking Systolic blood pressure=121-139 mm Hg Diastolic blood pressure=81-89 mm Hg Total cholesterol level=200-239 mg/dL .

Risk of having any one or both or all the three risk factors: Blood pressure-140 or greater/90 mm Hg Total cholesterol level-240 mg/dL or greater Smoking.

Body mass index was classified as normal weight (18.5-24.9), overweight (25.0-29.9), or obese (30 or greater).

In the research they found that the risk of obese patients when compared to normal patients suffering from CHD was 43% more than that of low risk groups and double he time than that of moderate risk group. In case of diabetics the low risk group who are obese showed eleven times increased risk of death and 7.8 times increased risk for hospitalization when compared to normal weight group.

People who were obese in their earl life (31-64 years) showed increased risk of hospitalization and death in the later years (65 years) when compared to persons with normal weigh who had other risk factors for CHD. In general the risk of CHD, CVD, and diabetes in older age for both the sexes were similar.

Hence the researchers say that prevention programmes should be conducted worldwide to enumerate the importance of having a normal weight and also to tell about the risks of developing problems in the later stage of one’s life.