Every single day, your heart beats 100,000 times to pump 2,000 gallons of blood through 60,000 miles of blood vessels. Though it’s only the size of a fist, this muscle is the hero of your body, working harder than you can imagine. Like any muscle, however, the stronger it is, the more effective it will be. If you had the opportunity to strengthen the center of your being, wouldn’t you do it? With weight-loss surgery, you can take control of your heart health and your life.
ACHY BREAKY HEART
According to the CDC, one person in the U.S. dies every 36 seconds from cardiovascular disease. A scary statistic, but remember as you read this information, the future is in your hands.
Obesity has been known to contribute to heart disease in several ways. As many of us know, it can change your cholesterol levels causing spikes in bad cholesterol and triglycerides. Penn Medicine reports that it can also lower good high-density lipoproteins cholesterol, “…which is important for removing bad cholesterol and working to reduce the risk of heart disease.”
Obesity may cause blood pressure to rise as well due to the fact that more blood is necessary to supply sufficient nutrients and oxygen to the body. In addition, the development of diabetes is a likely reality. Those with diabetes are two to four times more likely to be at risk for heart disease.
For years, research has demonstrated that obesity is linked to greater risk for heart problems such as high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease, but in recent studies shared by Johns Hopkins Medicine, “…researchers have shown that excess weight is more than an ‘accomplice’ in the development of heart problems. The pounds themselves can cause heart muscle injury.” This can ultimately lead to heart failure, which occurs when the organ is unable to keep up with the demands placed on it.
In addition to heart muscle injury, obesity can also cause a disease of the heart muscle known as cardiomyopathy. This occurs when the muscle becomes enlarged, thick, or stiffened, making it difficult for the heart to pump enough blood through the body. In a study published by the American Heart Association, researchers monitored male participants for up to 46 years and found that “Obese men were more than eight times as likely to develop cardiomyopathy than those with the lowest normal BMI,” (CardioSmart News<