Even in the absence of apparent heart disease, obesity prevents the heart from functioning normally. The current study showed a direct relationship between the level of obesity and the degree of heart dysfunction. The impact was independent of other risk factors such as high blood pressure. Researchers from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia, studied 109 overweight or obese subjects, and 33 normal-weight subjects, who underwent a variety of tests looking at heart structure and function. As body weight increased, abnormal thickening of the heart muscle became more and more common. Moreover, in subjects with severe obesity, the heart was unable to relax and contract normally. Overweight or mild obesity was also linked to heart dysfunction, but the degree of impairment was less pronounced. The researchers concluded that identifying the subtle heart changes in obese and overweight people can lead to earlier, more effective treatments.
Circulation,
October 2004