ISLAMABAD, JUNE 03 (ONLINE): Men under age 65 and women under age 50 who have had obesity or weight management issues for 10 years have a higher risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke, according to a new study.
\nResearchers reported that older adults \u2013 women over 50 and men over 65 \u2013 did not have an increased risk based on overweight and obesity.
\nSome experts say the obesity paradox \u2013 the idea that the extra weight has a protective effect on older adults \u2013 can help explain why there was not an increased risk of cardiovascular disease in the older population.
\nMen younger than age 65 and women under age 50 who are overweight or have had obesity for 10 years have a greater risk of heart attack and stroke, according to a new study presented at the Endocrine Society\u2019s annual meeting, ENDO 2024.<\/p>\n
For their findings, which haven\u2019t been published yet in a peer-reviewed journal, researchers used data from the Nurses\u2019 Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study.<\/p>\n
They analyzed health information for 109,259 women and 27,239 men with a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25. They also looked at heart attack and stroke records between 2000 and 2020. During the study period, there were 12,048 cardiovascular events.<\/p>\n
For women under 50 and men under 65 with obesity for 10 years or more, the researchers reported that:<\/p>\n
There was a 25% to 60% increase in the risk of heart attack and stroke.
\nFor women older than 50 and men older than 65, there was not an increased risk.
\nBased on their findings, the researchers concluded that the earlier someone receives obesity treatment, the better their cardiovascular health.<\/p>\n
\u201cExcess weight brings about its harmful effects when it\u2019s present for a long time,\u201d Dr. Andrew Turchin, the study\u2019s lead author and the director of quality at the Division of Endocrinology at Brigham & Women\u2019s Hospital as well as an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School in Boston, told Medical News Today. \u201cPreventing that \u2013 by treating obesity early on \u2013 could prevent complications and improve patient outcomes. This information shows medical professionals that timely intervention is key for the prevention of complications of obesity. Now that there are more and more options to help individuals with overweight and obesity lose weight, medical professionals should lose no time making these treatments available to their patients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obesity and overall health
\nDr. Sean Heffron, a cardiologist at NYU Langone Health in New York, studies the relationship between heart health and obesity.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is a topic that is very important and one I am currently investigating,\u201d Heffron, who wasn\u2019t involved in the research, told Medical News Today. \u201cWithout reading the full study, it is difficult to give definite conclusions. However, it might be that in cases where the overall burden of obesity is less, the people were overall healthier and became older without other medical conditions.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a review articleTrusted Source published in 2023, Heffron and his colleagues described how obesity severity as well as duration impacted health conditions differently.<\/p>\n
He detailed conditions and the effects obesity has on them:<\/p>\n
Hypertension \u2013 obesity severity has a more significant influence than duration
\nType 2 diabetes \u2013 obesity duration has a more substantial influence than severity
\nDyslipidemia \u2013 obesity severity has a more significant influence than duration
\nCardiovascular, all-cause mortality, ASCVD, and cardiomyopathy \u2013 duration and severity are important
\n\u201cThis [new] study looked at how obesity impacted different age groups,\u201d Dr. Michelle Weinberg, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John\u2019s Health Center in California who was not involved in the research, told Medical News Today. \u201cThe middle group had the highest risk. The younger group had less of a disease burden because of the shorter duration of obesity. The older group saw some protective benefits of extra weight. The middle group drives home how a higher BMI can negatively impact health.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obesity in older age
\nThe findings of the new study indicate that for older adults, the risk of heart attack and stroke associated with obesity is less than it is with younger people.<\/p>\n
This obesity paradox relates to counter-intuitive findings suggesting that, although people are at greater risk of developing heart problems if they are overweight or have obesity, once a person has developed a heart condition, those with higher BMIs appeared less likely to die than those of average weight.<\/p>\n
Various explanations have been suggested, including the fact that once someone has developed heart problems, some extra fat is somehow protective against further health problems and death, especially as people who develop a severe and chronic illness often lose weight.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have known for a long time that obesity is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, so the results of the [current] study are not surprising,\u201d said Dr. Cheng-Han Chen, an interventional cardiologist and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in California.<\/p>\n
The extra weight seems to provide a buffer for older adults.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis study is right in line with other studies that indicate extra weight in later years can be protective of certain illnesses,\u201d Chen, who was not involved in the research, told Medical News Today. \u201cIt is commonly observed that there is a diminishing of the risk as people get older; older people with an increased BMI tend to have better cardiovascular outcomes. This could indicate that the extra weight shows robustness. They are not frail and sickly. We aren\u2019t sure exactly why older people with extra weight are more robust and healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHowever, the study reinforces the need to develop heart-healthy lifestyles in the younger yeaENrs. I talk to my patients about the American Heart Association Life\u2019s Essential 8, which gives a roadmap to better heart health. One of those is to maintain a healthy weight and follow healthy eating principles,\u201d Chen added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD, JUNE 03 (ONLINE): Men under age 65 and women under age 50 who have had obesity or weight management issues for 10 years have a higher risk of developing heart disease or having a stroke, according to a new study. Researchers reported that older […]<\/p>\n
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