Losing weight Radical diets damage the heart

A so-called crash diet has serious effects on the heart

Many people have problems with being overweight. For this reason, the sufferers try in various ways to reduce the excess weight through sports, diet changes or diets. More and more often so-called crash diets are used. Researchers have now found out that while a crash diet reduces weight, it also reduces heart function.

Researchers at the internationally recognized University of Oxford found in their study that crash diets can lead to a temporary deterioration in cardiac function. The results of their study were presented at a Cardiac Imaging Conference CMR 2018 in Barcelona, ​​organized by the European Society of Cardiology and the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (SCMR).

Many people suffer from obesity or obesity. Diets in this case help to achieve a normal weight. More and more people are attacking the crash diet. (Image: staras / fotolia.com)

What is a crash diet?

Through a crash diet, people try to lose a lot of weight in as short a time as possible. For those affected reduce the daily intake of calories consumed. Usually, such a diet does not consume more than 800 Kcal per day for several weeks. If you are about to do a crash diet or a very low calorie diet in the near future, you should consult a doctor beforehand, at least if you have heart disease, experts suggest.

Crash diets can lower blood pressure and reverse diabetes

Crash diets have become increasingly popular in recent years, explains Dr. Jennifer Rayner from Oxford Center for Magnetic Resonance, Oxford University. "These diets have a very low calorie content of 600 to 800 kcal per day and can be effective in losing weight, lowering blood pressure and reversing diabetes, but the effects on the heart have not been studied yet," the researcher explains press release.

21 overweight people served as subjects

The study used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the influence of a very low-calorie diet on cardiac function and fat distribution in the abdomen, liver and heart muscle. A total of 21 overweight volunteers participated in the research. The average age of the participants was 52 years, the average body mass index (BMI) was 37 kg / m2.

Effects of the diet on the participants

Participants consumed a very low calorie diet of only 600 to 800 kcal per day for eight weeks. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed at the beginning of the study, one week, and eight weeks. After just one week, total body fat had dropped six percent, visceral fat was reduced by eleven percent, and liver fat was reduced by 42 percent, say the scientists. In addition, significant improvements in insulin resistance, triglycerides, glucose and blood pressure were noted.

After only one week, the heart fat increased by 44 percent

However, there were also negative effects on the body of those affected. After one week, the heart fat content had increased by 44 percent. This resulted in a deterioration in cardiac function, including worsening of left ventricular pumping function. In addition, increased heart fat also reduced so-called diastolic function parameters.

After seven weeks, the heart fat returned to normal

At the beginning of the eighth week of the study, the fat content of the heart had reduced again and the function was back to normal. In part, even an improvement could be found. Measurements of body fat and cholesterol showed further increasing improvements.

At first, the heart muscle takes on too much fat through the diet

The metabolic benefits of a very low calorie diet, such as liver fat reduction and diabetes reversal, are also expected to improve cardiac function. Instead, cardiac function worsened during the first week, before eventually recovering, the study authors explain.

The sudden loss of calories causes fat from different parts of the body to be released into the blood and absorbed by the heart muscle. The muscle of the heart prefers fat or sugar as fuel and the excess of fat worsens its function, adds the expert. After an acute period in which the body adjusts to a drastic calorie restriction, the fat content and function of the heart improve again.

Diseases of the heart often lead to a stinging in the region of the chest. (Image: Henrie / fotolia.com)

Talk to your doctor before the diet

"If you have heart problems, you need to talk to your doctor before you start on a very low calorie diet or fasting. People with heart problems may experience more symptoms at this early stage, so the diet should be monitored, "explains Dr. Rayner in the press release. Healthy people will probably not notice the detected changes in heart function in the early stages of the diet, adds the doctor.

Further research is needed

In people with existing heart problems, the crash diet can lead to various health problems. Symptoms of severe heart failure, such as shortness of breath or increased risk of cardiac arrhythmias, can aggravate the condition. However, further research is needed to further investigate the effects of acute cardiac function reduction. (As)