Obesity

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(iv)    Cardiovascular Diseases: Obesity has long been recognised as a risk factor for congestive heart failure, coronary artery diseases and strokes. Obesity places an increased burden and pressure on the heart to supply blood to more than 99,000 km. of arteries, capillaries and veins in the adult human body. The tendency to put on weight around the waist and the abdomen (Truncal Obesity) has been associated with double the risk of heart attack and diabetes, with Indians genetically falling in an even higher risk category because of their tendency to harbour potbellies. Indians have smaller bones, less muscle mass and more body fat as compared to Caucasians. A potbelly on an otherwise skinny frame is an even greater risk of cardio trouble. Abdominal fat is hormonally active, begetting diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol which all exacerbate cardiovascular diseases. On average, if you are obese and reduce your weight by 10% or more your blood pressure and triglyceride levels are lowered and your chances of dying at any age are reduced by 10%. French researchers have found that being simply obese, in the absence of high BP, does not clearly increase the risk of death from heart attack or strokes. But this should not lead to complacence because there are other risk factors for being obese as detailed in this section.

(v)     High Blood Pressure: Overweight people tend to have higher blood pressure (BP) than thin people. This is partly because obese peoples’ bodies have to work harder to burn up the excess calories they consume to support their higher basic metabolic needs, partly because they tend to eat more salt than normal and possibly because fat people have a tendency to be resistant to the hormone insulin, which deals with blood sugars and this may be involved in causing high BP. High BP can also be caused by narrowing of the blood vessels in all tissues due to fatter cells in obese people. Direct excess weight pressure over the abdominal organs, like the kidneys, may also result in high BP. Population surveys have shown that the variation in BP between people in relation to their weight, is about one millimeter of mercury (mmHg) per kilogram in weight. When you put on weight, the amount you gain is a good guide to the amount by which your BP will rise. If you lose weight, your BP will fall by an amount that can be predicted using the same formula. From a practical point of view, losing weight in addition to cutting down on salt and alcohol is a very effective way of reducing your BP.