Study Finds Obese Heart Failure Patients Live Longer Than Skinnier Counterparts

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Last Updated on April 12, 2021

Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 and remains a serious health concern for people of all ages. Though there are plenty of adverse health effects associated with obesity, there might actually be at least one -- very specific -- upside.

Worldwide obesity has nearly doubled since 1980 and remains a serious health concern for people of all ages. Though there are plenty of adverse health effects associated with obesity, there might actually be at least one — very specific — upside.

According to Web MD, the “obesity paradox” shows that obese individuals with heart failure might actually live longer than those who are thinner. Especially if the obese individual is “metabolically healthy.”

More than 3,500 patients were studied, all of which experience varying degrees of heart failure, as part of the obesity paradox, a term referring to the puzzling pattern that researchers have noticed for years: obese patients with heart disease living longer than their healthier weight counterparts. For the 50% of yoga practicioners who live green and eat sustainably, this news likely comes as a surprise.

It has consistently been observed in large studies,” said Dr. Gregg Fonarow, co-chief of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. “But the mechanisms contributing to this paradox continue to be debated.”

Of the 3,564 total patients involved in the study, approximately 2,000 were overweight or obese, while the remaining 1,500 or so were of normal weight. Generally, the study found that heavier patients tended to show less physical deterioration within the structure and function of the heart’s main pumping chamber. Also, the highest survival rate was seen among obese patients who did not have high cholesterol, abnormal blood sugar levels, or high blood pressure (metabolically healthy).

Obviously, this new research is not a green light to eat whatever you want and welcome obesity. Overweight problems can still certainly be dangerous and there are plenty of severe health risks associated with obesity, including diabetes, osteoarthritis, gout, breathing problems, and even some cancers.

In fact, according to Health Day, obesity could be directly contributing to the rise in uterine cancers among American women, up about 0.7% per year, on average.

Uterine cancers are the result of excess circulating estrogens that occur when a woman is overweight and has completed the menopause,” added Dr. Benjamin Schwartz, director of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwell Health’s Southside Hospital. “Since the obesity epidemic worsened over the years studied, it is not a surprise then that the incidence of uterine cancers also continued to rise.”

No matter your situation, make sure you’re doing everything you can to eat right and take better care of your body. Talk to your doctor today if you’re worried you have any serious health concerns.

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