17 replies to this topic

[Star of the Sea]

This is despite them reporting worse health and being less likely to follow lifestyle advice, a study of more than 4,400 patients reported. One explanation is that doctors treat the disease more aggressively, the University College London team said.....cont/..


http://www.bbc.co.uk...acebook_bbcnews


Well you could knock me down with a feather with this bit of news

Edited by Star of the Sea, 17 March 2013 - 06:04 PM.

[ouija ouija]

Star of the Sea, on 17 March 2013 - 06:03 PM, said:

Well you could knock me down with a feather with this bit of news

You're obviously not obese then!

[Lilly]

Here's what I've been wondering for some time now: Perhaps the current medical notion of what's a "normal weight" simply isn't correct? I mean, perhaps 'thin as a stick' with just about no body fat really isn't normal/healthy after all? I'd be very curious to see how only slightly heavier people (who don't smoke/drink and do exercise) fare in these cardiac situations? I have a very strong suspicion that slightly heavier (not obese) people will be found to have the very best survival rates.

[Queen in the North]

Maybe heart disease is caught sooner in obese patients? They are more likely to have other health problems, more visits to the GP, maybe more tests... Whereas 'normal' people don't have as many other health problems and feel fine until, you know, the ol' ticker stops working, when the heart disease will have progressed further before treatment.

Just a thought off the top of my head.

[Star of the Sea]

Lilly, on 17 March 2013 - 06:17 PM, said:

Here's what I've been wondering for some time now: Perhaps the current medical notion of what's a "normal weight" simply isn't correct? I mean, perhaps 'thin as a stick' with just about no body fat really isn't normal/healthy after all? I'd be very curious to see how only slightly heavier people (who don't smoke/drink and do exercise) fare in these cardiac situations? I have a very strong suspicion that slightly heavier (not obese) people will be found to have the very best survival rates.

I think you could be right Lilly about slightly heavier people having better survival rates, so long as they don't smoke and drink etc. So I wonder if BMI charts will change after this research. My husband LOL at this because he had a heart attack just over two years ago and all he hears from the Doctors is "lose weight". Steak pie for tea then! (not!)

Edited by Star of the Sea, 17 March 2013 - 06:47 PM.

[Hilander]

I tend to agree with Queen in the North.  Obese people have other health issues and see a doctor much more often starting earlier in life.  However I don't think stick skinny is healthy either.  I think someone in the middle are the healthiest and are probably closer to what should be considered normal weight.

[and then]

It might also be that if the cause of the heart condition is the obesity and not , smoking, for example, the outcomes could be better though I can't imagine why.

[Hilander]

Overweight people that never smoke have heart problems, I know a couple of them.  The doctor told them to lose weight but they just keep getting fatter and never exercise.  This woman came into my flea market one day and could barely walk up a couple of stairs because of her weight.  She was only in her thirties and probably weighted 200 pounds.  Then I know a man that is really overweight but he doesn't sit around and does just fine.  However he's not that old yet.

[Star of the Sea]

My hubby is slightly overweight but not obese. He had a heart check a couple of weeks ago and his heart function hasn't deteriorated but more or less stayed the same from when he had the heart attack. He is on a cocktail of drugs though which keeps his BP down etc. I think a good 'rule of thumb' is to keep most things in moderation.  If you eat too many fatty foods it hardens the arteries so I think it's wise to keep to a low fat diet.. so no fry ups!

Edited by Star of the Sea, 17 March 2013 - 08:36 PM.

[Star of the Sea]

I can't get my head round this part of the article:

"But obese patients who did not stick to these healthy lifestyle recommendations still had a lower risk of death than normal weight patients who smoked or were inactive".

Edited by Star of the Sea, 17 March 2013 - 08:27 PM.

[Star of the Sea]

and then, on 17 March 2013 - 07:48 PM, said:

It might also be that if the cause of the heart condition is the obesity and not , smoking, for example, the outcomes could be better though I can't imagine why.

I

It appears and I could be wrong that 'smoking' is far more serious for your health than being obese?

[Star of the Sea]

Hilander, on 17 March 2013 - 08:13 PM, said:

Overweight people that never smoke have heart problems, I know a couple of them.  The doctor told them to lose weight but they just keep getting fatter and never exercise.  This woman came into my flea market one day and could barely walk up a couple of stairs because of her weight.  She was only in her thirties and probably weighted 200 pounds.  Then I know a man that is really overweight but he doesn't sit around and does just fine.  However he's not that old yet.

I think exercise makes a massive difference to your health. So even if you are over weight, but get regular exercise you are healthier as it get's the old tick tock working

[Lilly]

Star of the Sea, on 17 March 2013 - 08:27 PM, said:

I can't get my head round this part of the article:

"But obese patients who did not stick to these healthy lifestyle recommendations still had a lower risk of death than normal weight patients who smoked or were inactive".

Yeah, that's the really weird part...which is why I was wondering if they defined "normal weight" as being Hollywood stick thin?

[jonial]

It is not the first time researchers have pointed out this paradox, that being overweight or obese - a risk factor for heart disease in itself - can actually lead to a better prognosis, BBC News reported.

[Frank Merton]

Yea.  The best is to be thin and fit; the next is to be fat and fit.   Then comes thin and unfit and finally fat and unfit.