Get Healthy

Increased levels of obesity and increased levels of heart disease: is there a connection? While it may seem a natural connection to make, it is more complex than a simple concept of weight-goes-up/heart-gets-stressed. According to cardiologists, there is a little more to the cause and effect.

There has been an increase in obesity from 25 to 33 percent over the last few decades, according to Dr. Sandhya Donepudi, MD, FACC, an interventional cardiologist at St. Margaret Mercy hospital in Hammond. A full third of us are officially obese. And it appears that health factors accompanying such obesity are responsible for the heart disease rates that are also rising.

Metabolic syndrome seems to be the culprit that leads overweight people to heart disease. And there are many components to this syndrome, which consists of a group of health factors and symptoms, according to Donepudi.

Excess fat in the belly area, a sign of metabolic syndrome, is one such clue connecting obesity to ultimate heart disease, Donepudi says. One way to tell is to measure one’s waist. If the inches around are more than 40 for men and 35 for women, there is cause for concern. If the body mass index—measured by a person’s weight in kilograms divided by his or her height in meters—goes beyond a certain level, that too may signify that metabolic syndrome is present, and thus that heart disease may be a threat.

In addition to the level of belly fat in the body, elevated blood pressure (greater than 130/85) and abnormal lipids (fats)—such as high “bad” cholesterol and low “good” cholesterol—are also signs, as is elevated glucose (sugar) in the system due to one’s cells not responding properly to insulin (the bodily substance that breaks down carbohydrates, starches and sugars in the body). These factors are symptoms of metabolic syndrome and can also lead to heart disease. How? They inhibit clotting “busters” in the body—such as the kind of clots and inflammation that lead to strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms, Donepudi explains.

There are fairly uncomplicated things that can be done to fight metabolic syndrome (and obesity), says Lori Turco, RN, BSN, who is charge nurse for cardiac rehabilitation at the same hospital.

“Weight loss through dieting—by eating the right foods—as well as portion control is important,” Turco says. “And exercising moderately five to seven times per week for 30 to 60 minutes helps,” she adds.

”Walking, biking is fine. But you must be able to carry on a conversation comfortably and not experience any pain,” she advises.

“A brisk walk is the goal,” Donepudi says. ”Conditioning slowly by building up to a regular exercise program and increasing what you are doing every two weeks is the best.”

Additionally, managing blood pressure and high cholesterol (by using medications if necessary) is essential, according to Turco. “There’s no trick. It takes commitment and dedication and accepting responsibility. Seeing a doctor and just taking a pill won’t fix the problem alone,” Turco says.

Donepudi adds that no more than 30 percent of a person’s calories should come from fat and that in losing weight, no more than a 400-calorie deficit (taking in less than you use up per day) should be tried by an individual—“unless there is a severe situation,” she says.