Moderate weight loss in obese improves cardiac function

Washington, Dec 13 (IANS) The obese who lost some weight by eating less and exercising more bettered their cardiovascular health, says a new study.

The results of this two-year study showed that weight loss led to improvement in four key measures of heart and vascular health.

They included decreased thickness of heart muscle, improved pumping and relaxation functions of the heart and decreased thickness of the carotid artery walls.

Heart muscle thickening and impaired pumping and relaxation functions predict heart failure, and increased carotid wall thickness foreshadows plaque formation.

'Losing 20 or so pounds might seem daunting to some people, but we showed that even a more modest weight loss can yield heart and vascular benefits,' says study co-author Lisa de las Fuentes.

'You don't necessarily need to lose 50 pounds to improve your heart function,' added Fuentes, cardiologist at Washington University School of Medicine-St. Louis (WUSM-SL).

The researchers studied 60 moderately obese people, aged between 22 and 64 years, at regular intervals, and 46 people (78 percent) completed the entire two-year follow-up period.

The subjects were instructed to eat low-calorie diets (1,200 to 1,500 calories for women and 1,500 to 1,800 calories for men) and to exercise for about three and a half hours per week, principally walking.

On average, they lost weight for about six months, reaching a maximum loss of nine percent body weight or 22 pounds.

Maximum cardiovascular benefit lagged behind weight loss, with the greatest improvement coming six to 12 months after the study began.

Starting at about six months, most participants slowly regained some of their lost weight. At the end of two years, the participants averaged about nine pounds below their initial weight.

Even though they regained some weight, after two years they still retained some of the heart and blood vessel benefit they had received, said a WUSM-SL release.

None of the patients enrolled in the study had clinically evident signs of heart failure, such as shortness of breath, coughing or fluid buildup, and none were taking cholesterol-lowering medications. About a third of them were being treated for high blood pressure.

These findings are slated for publication in the December 15 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.