Obesity And Heart Attack
There is a relationship between obesity and heart attack. Obese people have greater tendencies to develop cardiomyopathy that leads to heart attack.
Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is the most common of all cardiomyopathies. It is a condition wherein the heart muscular walls of the left or both ventricles become enlarged, weakened and floppy which impairs the systolic pump function of the heart.
In hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the heart is unable to efficiently deliver blood to other parts of the body due to the shrinking of the size of its pumping chambers caused by the thickening and stiffening of the walls of the myocardium or heart muscle. Whereas, in restrictive cardiomyopathy, the heart cannot properly expand and is greatly hindered to fill with blood between heartbeats because of rigid and less elastic heart muscles.
The causes of cardiomyopathy are idiopathic or unknown, but there are various contributing factors that lead to cardiomyopathy. Some of these are:
- long-term high blood pressure
- excessive use of alcohol for many years
- nutritional deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals
- use of cocaine and other antidepressant medications
- viral infection
- metabolic disorders such as diabetes or thyroid disease
- iron buildup in the heart
- pregnancy, and others.
Most of these factors are preventable. The phytonutrients from fruits, grains, nuts and vegetables can effectively prevent nutritional deficiencies. Natural Herbalife vitamin and mineral supplements supply the body with essential nutrients for optimum health. Vitamins and minerals are important in the maintenance of ideal body weight to prevent obesity.
Obesity can be measured through BMI or Body Mass Index. It is a measure of body fat in terms of body weight and height. It is calculated by dividing the weight in kilograms by the height in meters squared: (kg/m²). A person with a BMI lesser than 18.5 is considered underweight, 18.5 to 24.9 is normal weight, 25 to 29.9 is overweight, and 30 or greater is obese.
A BMI of less than 21 has the greatest protection against coronary heart disease and mortality. A BMI greater than 23 but lesser than 25 in women increases the risk of fatal coronary heart disease by 50%, and a BMI greater than 25 but lesser than 29 in men by 72%.
According to some studies, dilated cardiomyopathy is the most common cause of sudden death in severely obese people. Obesity is a high risk factor for heart disease. Obese people are more prone to hypertension that may cause heart attack.
It is therefore very important that we loss excessive fats in our body and maintain an ideal weight to remain healthy all the time. Herbalife Weight Control Programs are good for people who want to be slim and fit. They have Formula of Protein Powder, Nutritional Drink, and Multivitamin Complex to prevent nutritional deficiencies that may cause heart attacks in obese people.