Even little overweight endangers the heart and brain

Even a slight overweight burden the cardiovascular system

Obesity puts a strain on the circulation. A comprehensive study from Scotland now shows that even a little too much fat on the ribs increases the risk of circulatory disease.

No benefits of overweight

The researchers contradict in the "European Heart Journal" of the thesis that overweight sometimes even promotes good health. Moderate excess abdominal fat also increased the risk of heart failure, heart attack and stroke.

The more fat a person uses, the more the risk of a heart attack and stroke increases. (Image: Kurhan / fotolia.com)

Much abdominal fat is an indication of high health risks and, conversely, the less belly fat a person has, the lower the risk of heart disease, according to Stamatina Iliodromitti of the University of Glasgow, who is involved in the study.

Largest study so far

The study, led by Iliodromitti, involved nearly 300,000 people between the ages of 40 and 60 years and examined their health from 2006/2010 to 2015. It also considered other aspects such as smoking or high blood pressure that also lead to circulatory disease.

Clear result

The result was clear: with a body mass index (BMI) between 22 and 23, the risk of cardiovascular disease is lowest. Obesity starts at a value of 25, obesity at 30.

Linear increase in risk

According to the study, the risk of these diseases increases linearly with the amount of fat: 5.2 points above the most favorable BMI value for women and 4.3 points for men increase the risk by 13%.

Waist circumference is a trigger

Essential is the waist circumference: women with a waist of 74 centimeters and men with 83 centimeters run the least risk of having a heart attack, having a stroke or contracting a heart failure. Per 11.4 cm more waist in men and 12.6 cm more in women, the risk increases by 10%, the study said.

Danger belly fat

A crucial role plays the belly fat. It releases messenger substances that trigger inflammation and damage the blood vessels.

consequences

The consequence of the study is: reducing fat is necessary for health. Obesity makes you sick.

Typical consequences

The study examined the effect of obesity on the cardiovascular system. However, cardiovascular diseases are not the only consequences of obesity. Diabetes II is one of the typical problems.

Diabetes Type II

In this type of diabetes, the body can no longer store sugar in the cells. The cells barely react to insulin, which raises blood sugar levels while glucose is no longer used.

Overproduction of insulin

The body now emits more and more insulin until the pancreas can no longer produce and discontinue insulin delivery. Then diabetes II breaks out. The cause of this disease is often obesity.

Continue

Other consequences of obesity are disorders of lipid metabolism - doctors speak of hyperlipidemia. If too much fat increases cholesterol levels or levels of triglycerides in the blood, the organism can no longer reduce the excess. Fat deposits in the vessels - heart attack and stroke hang as a sword on a thread over the person concerned. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)