By Kara Pifer
Ba-bum Ba-bum. It’s a sound that all of us hear throughout our lives, but we do not usually pay much attention to it unless something is wrong. The heart, it is what keeps our body a continuous river of blood so we can maintain a state of homeostasis in our body and survive in different conditions. Due to the extreme numbers of the population affected by obesity, numerous research studies have been popping up everywhere about both the affects of obesity on the heart as well as studies that will hopefully help the population understand what they are doing is affecting their heart as well as their weight.
When you sit down at night with your evening snack, how many of you choose carrots or an apple? For me, it may be an apple with peanut butter, but for many, it’s one of the more popular, fatty, salty, or sugary snacks of goodness. Take my dad for example, a nightly snack may be a bag of popcorn. No, this usually is not the 98% fat free variety, this is extreme butter. Because he is active at work as well as at home, he may not notice any real difference in his weight. According to a new study, although no weight change is noted, a cardiac alteration still occurs, and sooner than you might think. “Researchers found that salt-laden foods quickly impair the ability of blood vessels to widen even in people with normal blood pressure” and on average they only widen to about half of what blood vessels normally would. This means that even if you think you can eat that bag of popcorn since your doctor just gave you a perfect blood pressure award you can still be affected by that late night craving. What is even more surprising was the timing of the cardiac effects. Only 30 minutes after consuming your guilty pleasure, there are clear changes seen in your arteries. That’s less time than an episode of House or Grey’s Anatomy! So why does this widening and narrowing of blood vessels have anything to do with the whole population? Why does it matter as long as the blood can get through? Research shows that the inability for blood vessels to widen to the appropriate size will actually contribute to the likelihood of developing arteriosclerosis. This arteriosclerosis is the buildup of fat in the arteries which eventually may lead to strokes or heart attacks. Although no long term research has been completed yet, I believe it is easy to see what the long term results would show.
If a person were to stop eating their regular potato chip filled diet and lost weight, then they should have a healthy heart again right? Possibly not according to another article found on MSNBC’s website. Weight loss, while usually associated with exclusively positive side effects such as increased energy, decreased blood pressure, decreased risk of health conditions such as Diabetes and hypertension as well as better overall health, may also carry negative side effects as well. At first thought, I assumed this article would be discussing the effects of a large weight loss over a very short period of time and the negative effects that would have on your body, but I was surprised that this was actually much scarier. While you are creating an energy deficit by eating healthy and exercising more, adipose tissue cells, more commonly called fat cells, are shrinking in your body. While shrinking, they may release chemical compounds known as persistent organic pollutants. These persistent organic pollutants include pesticides such as DDT and PCBs which may be stored in your adipose tissue cells from consumption years ago. Links have been discovered between the release of these persistent organic pollutants and, the body the likelihood of developing hypertension, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease. Overall, these persistent organic molecules greatly increase your risk of cardiac complications due to the calcification of the arteries. Do not let this deter you from your weight loss goals, as the benefits of losing weight definitely outweigh the possible negative effects. Of course, the best option is to avoid becoming overweight in the first place.
Many individuals suffer from heart related issues every year in all parts of the world, though larger numbers are found in some counties such as the United States. Many of the heart complications that are experienced can be traced back to behaviors in the individual’s past. In many cases, dietary issues are at the root of the problem. Foods high in saturated fats, cholesterol, high in sodium and low in vitamins and minerals that are consumed on a regular basis can eventually add up to heart complications which could have been avoided had the individual changed dietary habits. These foods also lead to an increased chance of obesity which also can lead to heart complications. Many dietary habits can lead to an increased risk of heart complications, as well as many other health complications and with maintenance and education, the numbers of heart complication in the United States may decrease.
For the story about weight loss:
For the story about sodium intake:
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