01/07/2022
The relationship between obesity and cardiovascular disease
1. What is obesity?
Obesity is a chronic disease, which occurs due to the excessive accumulation of fat in the body, which promotes and causes adipose tissue dysfunction.
Currently, the obesity rate is increasing, especially in developing countries, including Vietnam. It not only affects the physique, causing low self-esteem for the patient, but also increases the risk of other serious diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and especially cardiovascular disease.
According to the researchers, people with obesity often have a BMI of 30 kg/m2 (according to the World Health Organization WHO) or 25 kg/m2 (according to IDI and WPRO for Asians). , including Vietnam). In addition, people aged 40-59 who are obese are much more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than those of a normal weight.
2. What causes obesity?
It can be said that the cause of obesity is multifactorial. The main factors that contribute to this disease include:
Genetic factors: More than 140 genetic chromosomal regions associated with obesity have been identified. Genes associated with BMI and adiposity are generally highly expressed in the central nervous system. In addition, the increased genetic risk for adult obesity may also be passed on to future generations. However, this cause only accounts for a very small percentage (about 10%).
Living lifestyle: Lack of physical activity due to the characteristics of daily work or having unhealthy eating habits (frequent snacking, eating a lot of sugar, fat, starch, eating late at night, ..) are the main causes of obesity.
In addition, other causes also lead to obesity such as disrupted sleep, mental stress, neurological dysfunction, viral infections, age problems, drug use.
3. The relationship between obesity and heart disease
Obesity not only makes the patient unsightly but also causes many different diseases. In fact, obesity and heart disease have a very close relationship, they correlate to cause many diseases for people. As follows:
Obesity is associated with an increased risk of metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. According to Harold Bays, MD, FACC, an excessive increase in body fat leads to enlargement of the atria, ventricles and atherosclerosis, which directly contribute to cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, increased body fat indirectly through the promotion of sleep apnea, thrombosis, and the onset or worsening of metabolic diseases are major risk factors for cardiovascular disease. , including dyslipidemia, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, and metabolic syndrome.
Obesity promotes systemic inflammation, and inflammation can promote body fat production. Chronic systemic inflammation, along with an accumulation of hypogastric adipose tissue, is commonly found in individuals with obesity. This increases the risk of atherosclerosis, in which the bad lipoproteins, LDL-C, promote and form plaque. When the plaque on the vessel wall is broken, it will lead to the formation of blood clots leading to heart attacks, cerebral strokes, mesenteric artery occlusion, lower extremity artery occlusion, ...
In addition, chronic inflammation and fat accumulation in the hypogastrium are strongly associated with the presence, severity, and progression of coronary artery disease. Normal epithelial adipocytes function similarly to fat cells from brown adipose tissue, helping to burn fatty acids and nourish adjacent tissues. They secrete adiponectin, which helps to reduce inflammation and fibrosis in the coronary arteries and heart muscle. In contrast, hypogastric fat in obese individuals is prone to breakdown, leading to fatty acid release and inflammatory response. In obesity, secretion of adiponectin from hypogastric fat is reduced and proinflammatory adipokines are released, promoting infiltration of macrophages, destruction of microvascular systems, and activation of fibrosis pathways. .
According to the American Heart Association, people who are obese have a higher risk of heart failure, stroke or other cardiovascular diseases. This stems from the development of atrial fibrillation due to obesity, which causes the heart to arrhythmia and gradually form blood clots.
When the body is obese, it will make your heart work harder and more stressed. If this condition continues for a long time, it can lead to heart failure.
Obesity usually exists in two forms:
For women: excess fat is often accumulated in the buttocks and thighs.
Cardiologists often recommend that women should stay below 80%.
