According to a new study obesity does not worsen the outcome in heart failure. Obese people, suffering from heart failure, experience many problems. Generally in such peope the heart does not pump blood around the body as efficiently as it should. Even though there is no cure, it is treatable with drugs.Doctors often advise people with heart failure to lose weight if they are obese.
Researchers in Texas have surveyed 1000 people with heart failure and found that overweight and obesity are not obstacles to survival - indeed, carrying excess weight may even be helpful. At one and two years after the start of the study, the overweight and obese patients had a higher survival rate. But at five years, there was no significant difference in survival based on body weight.The reason why overweight seems to be protective in heart failure needs to be investigated further. Meanwhile, advising people with heart failure to lose weight may not be necessary - they certainly should not be prescribed weight loss drugs, which can worsen the condition. But it's different for coronary heart disease - here, overweight is still a risk factor that needs addressing.
