Weight gain linked to risk of heart failure
GAINING just a few extra pounds could increase your long-term risk of heart failure, a new study has revealed.
Researchers in the United States followed 1,262 adults free from heart disease for seven years.
Participants had MRIs scans of their hearts and multiple body fat measurements at the start of the study and then seven years later.
The study found those who gained weight – even as little as 5% – were more likely to have thickening and enlargement of the left ventricle – a well-established indicator of future heart failure.
They were also more likely to exhibit subtle decreases in their heart’s pumping ability.
Furthermore, they were likely to exhibit changes in heart muscle appearance and function.
Conversely, people who lost weight were more likely to exhibit decreases in heart muscle thickness.
“Any weight gain may lead to detrimental changes in the heart above and beyond the effects of baseline weight,” said Ian Neeland, the study’s senior author and a cardiologist and assistant professor of medicine at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Centre.
“So prevention should focus on weight loss, or if meaningful weight loss cannot be achieved, the focus should be on weight stability.
“Counselling to maintain weight stability, even in the absence of weight loss, may be an important preventive strategy among high-risk individuals.”
The researchers caution that their study was relatively small and their findings do not mean that every person with weight gain will necessarily develop heart failure.
But the results do suggest that changes in weight may affect heart muscle in ways that can change the organ’s function.
Dr Mike Knapton, associate medical director at the British Heart Foundation (BHF) said: “This important study suggests that even moderate weight gain can lead to changes in the heart, such as thickening of the heart muscle and a reduction in the amount of blood pumped out of the heart with every contraction.
“Thanks to research, we know there is a link between being overweight and heart disease.
“This study adds to our understanding of this relationship, suggesting that weight gain can ‘remodel’, or change, our heart structure.
“These findings support the growing evidence that maintaining a healthy, stable weight is important, through eating a balance diet, keeping an eye on your portion sizes and staying active.”