New research into relationships between obesity has yielded some very interesting results. One study showed that people who had treatment for unstable angina for example, in the form of heart surgery ( angioplasty and insertion of a stent) were less likely to die if they were obese or very obese. This went against all expected outcomes for the study. There are said to be several reasons for this. Patients that are obese tend to have their heart disease diagnosed earlier than people with normal weight, and also to receive medication that may help them recover better from surgery. Also, the obese patients tended to be younger and some of the changes that occur in the body of people that are obese may have helped them to recover better.
This doesn’t mean its alright to be obese. Obesity itself increases the risk of developing heart problems like heart failure. If you’re obese the heart has the added job of pumping blood through large deposits of fat with a couple of extra miles of blood vessels. Over time the heart just gets tired and gives up. There is also the high risk of having a heart attack and a higher risk of having a stroke. Other problems include diabetes and joint problems. If you’re obese you need to do something about it. There’s nothing to lose (except a lot of extara pounds!) and everthing to gain.
Is the woman pictured with this “article” supposed to be obese? She looks like a regular, healthy older woman to me.
Perhaps this is the only case where obesity is helpful! It’s an amusing and scary thought, actually.