Analyzing the Connection Between Obesity and Heart Health

This essay examines the significant relationship between obesity and cardiovascular diseases, highlighting how obesity, characterized by a BMI of 30 or higher, directly contributes to conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. The research underscores that obesity leads to elevated cholesterol levels, increased blood pressure, and impaired kidney function, all of which heighten the risk of cardiovascular ailments. The essay further discusses how weight reduction interventions and lifestyle changes, including adopting a healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity, are crucial in mitigating these risks and improving overall cardiovascular health. The study emphasizes the importance of addressing obesity as a key strategy in reducing the prevalence and severity of cardiovascular diseases.

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Relationships between Obesity and Cardiovascular Diseases
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Executive Summary
Obesity is what, in simple terms, referred to as overweight. It arises from the
accumulation of excess fat into the body. Obesity is a condition that does not arise accidentally
or by coincide. Rather, research has established that obesity is lifestyle disease that arises as a
result of poor eating habits and physical inactivity, practices that lead to the buildup of excess
fats into the body. Obesity is a major issue of concern in the public health because it contributes
to the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases that have been proven to be the leading cause
of mortalities in the country. Research has established that the excessive accumulation of fat into
the body has been responsible for the rise in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease like heart
attack, vascular disease, Pericardial disease, Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), Congenital
Heart Disease, Heart Valve Disease, High Blood Pressure, kidney disease, arrhythmias, and
narrowing of the arteries. Obesity has led to the high prevalence of such cardiovascular diseases
in the society today. All these are attributed to the changes it brings to the blood sugar level and
blood pressure. However, the good thing is that obesity and its related cardiovascular ailments
can be addressed through weight-reduction interventions.

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Introduction
Obesity has become some of the most issues of concern to the public health sector.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity, that is simply called overweight,
is a condition in which an individual has a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and above. Since the
normal BMI should be between 18.5 and 24.9, it means that anyone who has a BMI of between
25 and 29.9 is overweight. The major aim of this paper, therefore, is to give a critical and in-
depth study on the roles of obesity in the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.
The Research Question
The research studies the roles of obesity on the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in
the country today. Obesity has been classified as a dangerous lifestyle disease that is closely-
linked to a number of health issues especially the cardiovascular diseases. The research question,
hence, is: Why is the prevalence of the cardiovascular diseases higher amongst the obese and
overweight people than the healthy individuals. The development of this question was done
using the PICO model. PICO is an Evidence-Based Practice (EBP) model-an acronym that
denotes Problem/Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome.
The problem that has been identified in the model is obesity, overweight, and the
cardiovascular disease. These are ailments that have been affecting people in the country for a
very long time. Obesity and overweight are lifestyle diseases that affect individuals as result of
the kind of lifestyle that they lead. This is mainly about the consumption of unhealthy sugar ad
calorie-rich food products as well as failure to engage in the physical exercises. This situation
has been brought about by the changing lifestyles that have compelled people to consume fast
and junk foods as well as use modern technologies and engage in numerous commitments that

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leave no room for physical activities. The intervention in the model is about the eradication of
the cardiovascular diseases through the elimination of overweight and obesity. Meaning, the
fight against cardiovascular diseases can be done better by eradicating the cases of obesity and
overweight (Williams, Mesidor, Winters, Dubbert & Wyatt 2015). The comparison in the model
is done by comparing and contrasting the prevalent rates of the cardiovascular diseases between
the obese/overweight and healthy people. The outcome of the intervention is the reduction of the
prevalence rates of the cardiovascular diseases as well as obesity and overweight. The
eradication of these diseases can not only reduce the mortality rates, but can also improve health
and make life much better.
The Relationship between Cardiovascular Diseases and Obesity and Overweight
There is a close relationship between cardiovascular diseases, overweight, and obesity.
According to research, obesity and overweight have a direct role in the occurrence of the
cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovascular diseases refer to the ailments that have a direct impact
on the normal functioning or structure of the heart. Research has revealed that heart is one of the
most important organs in the body whose role is to help in the pumping of blood which, of
course, the body cannot do without (Yang, Shields, Guo & Liu 2018). The blood pumped in the
heart is used to nourish the entire body including the brain. The blood also helps in the removal
of the body metabolic wastes that can be quite harmful if left to accumulate in the body. There
are many types of cardiovascular diseases. Some of the most common ones include heart attack,
vascular disease, Abnormal heart rhythms, Pericardial disease, Congenital Heart Disease, kidney
disease, , Coronary Artery Disease, High Blood Pressure, Aorta Disease and Marfan Syndrome,
Heart Valve Disease, Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), and Cardiovascular diseases are
dangerous because they cause many deaths in the country.

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How Overweight and Obesity cause the Cardiovascular Diseases
The research has associated overweight/obesity to the emergence and high prevalence of
the heart attack, vascular disease, Aorta Disease and Marfan Syndrome, Pericardial disease,
Heart muscle disease (cardiomyopathy), Congenital Heart Disease, Heart Valve Disease, High
Blood Pressure, type 2 diabetes, kidney disease, Abnormal heart rhythms, or arrhythmias,
Coronary Artery Disease (narrowing of the arteries) and many other cardiovascular disease that
have been affecting many people in the society today (Hanna & Weiner 2015). This has been
happening because of the changes that it brings and the negative effects that it brings to the
normal functioning of various organs of the body.
The first way through which overweigh and obesity contribute cardiovascular diseases is
that it leads to the rise in the levels of cholesterol. The consumption of certain food products like
fast foods leads to the rise in the levels of cholesterol. The unfortunate thing is that the
accumulated cholesterol levels keep on increasing because of the tendency of the people to
continue consuming such cholesterol-rich foods (Bleich, Vercammen, Zatz, Frelier, Ebbeling &
Peeters 2018). Excess body fat can also lead to a spike in the levels of triglyceride and lower the
density of the good high-density lipoproteins (HDL) cholesterol. The more the cholesterol levels
rise, the higher the chances of the occurrence of the cardiovascular diseases in the body. That is
why the healthcare providers do advice people to refrain from the consumption of cholesterol-
rich foods no matter how cheap, available or delicious they might be.
The second way through which obesity/overweight contribute to the cardiovascular
diseases is that it leads to the rise of the blood pressure in the body. The rise in blood pressure
can be dangerous for the body because it makes it vulnerable to attack by the cardiovascular

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diseases. The blood pressure rises in the obese people because of the excessive fats in the body.
Once the body fat increases, the normal functioning of the blood vessels can be tampered with.
Meaning, in case the blood vessels become narrow, it becomes quite hard for blood to flow
through it well (GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborator 2017). Hence, for this to happen, it has to be
done forcefully. The forceful flow of blood through the vessels can be dangerous because it can
increase the pressure. This can in turn lead to the emergence of the cardiovascular disease lie
heart attack (Grover, Kaouache, Rempel, Joseph, Dawes, Lau & Lowensteyn 2015). Blood
pressure is one of the most important activities that should not be tampered with. The eating of
unhealthy diets and the failure to engage in physical activities can make one vulnerable to high
blood pressure.
Obesity and High Blood Pressure
According to the research conducted by Silverberg, Becker, Kwasny, Menter, Cordoro &
Paller (2015), obesity/overweight causes the High Blood Pressure disease. High Blood Pressure
is, as its name suggests, a situation in which the rate of pumping of blood in the body takes place
in an abnormally-high speed. The pressure is considered to be high when it is above the normal
rate of 120/80 mm Hg (Silverberg, Becker, Kwasny, Menter, Cordoro & Paller 2015). There is a
close relationship between obesity/overweight and High Blood Pressure. The accumulation of fat
into the body makes it challenging for the blood vessels to allow blood to pass and penetrate
through and circulate in the body. Excess body fat also increases the high chances of the
occurrence of the hypertension- High Blood Pressure, because it damages the kidney whose main
role in the body is to help in the regulation of the blood pressure (Alpert, Omran & Bostick
2016). Once the pressure build up, one is likely to contract other cardiovascular diseases like the

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heart failure. Hence, to address this problem, research recommends that everyone should reduce
the risk by engaging in weight-reduction activities.
Obesity and Heart Disease
In their studies, Lassale, Tzoulaki, Moons, Sweeting, Boer, Johnson, Huerta, Agnoli,
Freisling, Weiderpass & Wennberg (2017) established that overweight and obesity is a heart
attack’s risk factor. Heart disease is an ailment that affects the heart and hinders it from
discharging its normal functions. Some of the impairments that can take place in the heart is the
narrowing and hardening of the vessels which help in the circulation of blood through the heart.
When such impairments occur, the heart is not only deprived of sufficient flow of blood, but also
becomes unable to pump as it ought to (Lassale, Tzoulaki, Moons, Sweeting, Boer, Johnson,
Huerta, Agnoli, Freisling, Weiderpass & Wennberg 2017). This can be dangerous because it
might result in the occurrence of a number of heart-related ailments like abnormal heart rhythm,
angia, cardiac arrest, ear failure or heart attack. These are conditions can cause instant death. All
these are, nonetheless, linked to overweight because it is what makes it difficult for the heart to
pump blood and function well. However, to prevent such cases, individuals should take the
necessary measures to reduce weight (Lavie, Sharma, Alpert, De Schutter, Lopez-Jimenez,
Milani & Ventura 2016). This can be done by adopting a healthy eating culture as well as
embracing the practice of physical activity. Meaning, people should be ready to change their
lifestyle.
Obesity and Stroke
Stroke is a condition that arises when the flow of blood to a particular segment of the
brain stops. This is dangerous because it might result in the death of brain cells which, of course,

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perform a significant role in the body. The dying of the brain cells can quite dangerous because it
might cause a serious threat to the normal functioning of the brain. Research has found out there
is a connection between stroke and obesity. The excessive accumulation of fats into the body
increases the chances of stroke by increasing the pressure of blood in the body (Mitchell, Cole,
McArdle, Cheng, Ryan, Sparks, Mitchell & Kittner 2015). Increase in blood pressure might
result into the bursting of the blood vessels in the brain. The other way through which obesity
causes stroke is that increases the levels of high blood sugar and cholesterol. This might cause an
individual to experience ischemic stroke that is mainly linked to blood clots. In this regard, to
minimize the chances of contacting stroke, one should be actively involved in the weight-
reduction process (Bider‐Canfield, Martinez, Wang, Yu, Bautista, Brookey, Page, Buchanan &
Xiang 2017). This should be done by refraining from the physical inactivity as well as the
consumption of harmful sugar and calorie-rich foods.
Obesity and Type 2 Diabetes
In the research carried out by Kusminski, Bickel & Scherer (2016) to study obesity, it
was found out that there is a close relationship between overweight and Type 2 Diabetes. This is
a type of diabetes disease that is caused by the excessive rise in the blood sugar levels in the
body. This is one of the most common types of diabetes today. Although it is linked to many
other factors such as genetic relationship, Type 2 Diabetes is largely associated with obesity
(Kusminski, Bickel & Scherer 2016). It is more of a lifestyle disease whose prevalence is
attributed to poor eating habits and physical inactivity. That is why approximately 85% of the
Type 2 Diabetes patients are obese. Type 2 Diabetes is harmful because it leads to the emergence
of other cardiovascular diseases like stroke, heart disease, and kidney failure. All these
conditions are attributed to the effects of insulin that makes it challenging for the blood sugar to

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absorb insulin as it ought to. Hence, to overcome all these agonies, individuals should take time
to actively engage in the weight-reduction mission. Once this is done, one can eradicate excess
fat and any other dangers associated with it.
Conclusion
Obesity is a condition that has become a major issue of concern today. The changing
lifestyle has made many people vulnerable to obesity because it has compelled and lured
individuals to be physically inactive and engage in the consumption of food products like fast
foods that contain calories. Obesity is dangerous because it contributes to the emergence of
cardiovascular disease that affect people today. Therefore, to bring all thee to an ultimate end, it
should be upon everyone to engage in the weight-reduction interventions.

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