Our blog

A person goes on vacation, eats and drinks the local fare, and comes home about 5 pounds heavier. Oops! Time to go to the gym! Little weight gains like this one are harmless, right? Not so, according to new research. Even a small weight gain could be harmful to the heart, as a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association in July 2017 emphasizes. The results of this study could help lead people toward personal health control and disease prevention.

The Study and its Results

A study conducted by the University of Texas – Southwestern looked at the MRIs of 1,262 participants from multicultural backgrounds. MRIs were performed between 2000 and 2002 and then again between 2007 and 2008. The MRIs were studied to identify the physical characteristics of the heart and its overall ability to pump blood. The later MRIs were then compared to the earlier MRIs to determine the effects of weight gain on the heart.

This study found that an increase in weight of as little as 5% can result in physical changes to the heart. Increased weight can cause the heart to enlarge and the walls of the heart to thicken, leaving less room for blood in the heart’s chambers. This means that the heart must pump faster and work harder to pump the same volume of blood, decreasing its efficiency. If the heart becomes too large and thick, it becomes unable to keep up with the blood supply. The blood then backs up into the lungs, leading to congestive heart failure.

Researchers did find that even small amounts of weight loss improve the condition of the heart. This was true for people who were not overweight as well as for people who did gain weight. The study also showed that weight gain had a larger effect on the heart for people who were not overweight vs. people who were obese. Researchers concluded that weight gain should be avoided to preserve the integrity of the heart.

How to Use Health to Lose Weight

This study emphasizes the importance of achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Many people focus on losing weight to improve appearance, but those skinny clothing models provide an unrealistic goal for most people. Losing that amount of weight is daunting and many give up before any weight loss is achieved. Using health to motivate life change may be a better way to lose weight. Knowing that losing even a few pounds will improve the function of the heart should help people to change eating habits, start exercise routines, and implement other life hacks to shed those pounds.

To lose weight a person must record a baseline weight and then check it at intervals to know if a weight loss program is effective. Self-assessment of other vital signs, such as blood pressure and heart rate, can also tell a person if his or her weight loss program is having a positive effect on the heart. As weight goes down and the heart becomes healthier, both blood pressure and heart rate should decrease. Completing regular health checks will help people to know if their weight loss has been effective in improving heart health.

Monitoring health at home is the most effective way to tell if weight loss has had positive effects on heart function. Home health testing equipment combined with online health measurement apps can help people to complete this type of personal health tracking at a much lower cost than frequent doctors’ visits. HomeLab by Quantihealth provides the equipment and online apps that people need to monitor the effectiveness of their weight loss programs. For more information, visit www.thequantihealth.com.

 

Tags: Home health testing, online health measurement, personal health tracking, health checks, disease prevention, personal health control.