They, in fact are diagnosed earlier, find researchers from Northwestern University
New study by Northwestern University, published in the journal Jama Cardiology has bust the myth about the “obesity paradox,” a counterintuitive finding that showed people who have been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease live longer if they are overweight or obese compared with people who are normal weight at the time of diagnosis.
“I get a lot of patients who ask, ‘Why do I need to lose weight, if research says I’m going to live longer?’ I tell them losing weight doesn’t just reduce the risk of developing heart disease, but other diseases like cancer. ”
Obese people, in fact, live shorter lives and have a greater proportion of life with cardiovascular disease, report Northwestern researchers.
“The obesity paradox caused a lot of confusion and potential damage because we know there are cardiovascular and non-cardiovascular risks associated with obesity. I get a lot of patients who ask, ‘Why do I need to lose weight, if research says I’m going to live longer?’ I tell them losing weight doesn’t just reduce the risk of developing heart disease, but other diseases like cancer. Our data show you will live longer and healthier at a normal weight,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, an assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a Northwestern Medicine cardiologist.
The study shows similar longevity between normal weight and overweight people, but a higher risk for those who are overweight of developing cardiovascular disease during their lifespan and more years spent with cardiovascular disease. This is the first study to provide a lifespan perspective on the risks of developing cardiovascular disease and dying after a diagnosis of cardiovascular disease for normal weight, overweight and obese individuals.
Obesity in Indians is defined as a body mass index (BMI) ≥25. BMI is the ratio of weight and square of height.
According to the study,
- The likelihood of having a stroke, heart attack, heart failure or cardiovascular death in overweight middle-aged men 40 to 59 years old was 21 percent higher than in normal weight men. The odds were 32 percent higher in overweight women than normal weight women.
- The likelihood of having a stroke, heart attack, heart failure or cardiovascular death in obese middle-aged men 40 to 59 years old was 67 percent higher than in normal weight men. The odds were 85 percent higher in obese women than normal weight women.
- Normal weight middle-aged men also lived 1.9 years longer than obese men and six years longer than morbidly obese. Normal weight men had similar longevity to overweight men.
- Normal weight middle-aged women lived 1.4 years longer than overweight women, 3.4 years longer than obese women and six years longer than morbidly obese women.
