Heart disease and obesity topic of Feb. 22 Health Talk at UCMC

Upstate Carolina Medical Center will host a free HealthTalk on obesity and heart disease Thursday, Feb. 22, in the hospital's cafeteria from 6-7 p.m. Cardiologist Yoganand Hiremath, M.D., will be the guest speaker. Space is limited, so register in advance by calling 387-4271.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than one billion people are overweight globally, and that if current trends continue, that number will increase to 1.5 billion by 2015.

Overweight and obesity are important risk factors for cardiovascular disease, which is the number one cause of death and accounts for over 17 million deaths every year. Once considered a problem only in wealthy countries, WHO estimates show that overweight and obesity are now dramatically on the rise in low and middle income countries. This is due to a number of factors, including a global shift in diet towards increased energy, fat, salt and sugar intake, and a trend towards decreased physical activity due to the sedentary nature of modern work and transportation, and increasing urbanisation.

According to WHO estimates, more than 75% of women over the age of 30 are now overweight in countries as diverse as Barbados, Egypt, Malta, Mexico, South Africa, Turkey, and the United States. Estimates are similar for men, with over 75% now overweight in, for example, Argentina, Germany, Greece, Kuwait, New Zealand, Samoa, and the United Kingdom. Notably, the Western Pacific islands of Nauru and Tonga have the highest global prevalence of overweight where nine out of every 10 adults are overweight.

"The sheer magnitude of the overweight and obesity problem is staggering," said Dr Catherine Le-Galés Camus, WHO Assistant Director General of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health. "The rapid increase of overweight and obesity in many low and middle income countries foretells an overwhelming chronic disease burden in these countries in the next 10 to 20 years, if action is not taken now."

Raised body mass index is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and other chronic diseases.

According to the American Heart Association, obesity is defined simply as too much body fat. Your body is made up of water, fat, protein, carbohydrate and various vitamins and minerals. If you have too much fat - especially in your waist area - you're at higher risk for health problems, including high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes heart disease and stroke.

Obesity is now recognized as a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, which can lead to heart attack. Some reasons for this higher risk are known, but others are not. For example, obesity

. raises blood cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

. lowers HDL "good" cholesterol. HDL cholesterol is linked with lower heart disease and stroke risk, so reducing it tends to raise the risk.

. raises blood pressure levels.

. can induce diabetes. In some people, diabetes makes these other risk factors much worse. The danger of heart attack is especially high for these people.

Even when there are no adverse effects on the known risk factors, obesity by itself increases risk of heart disease. It also harms more than just the heart and blood vessel system. It's a major cause of gallstones and can worsen degenerative joint disease.

Obesity is mainly caused by taking in more calories than are used up in physical activity and daily life. When people eat too many calories, or too much saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol, their blood cholesterol levels often rise. That raises their risk of heart disease.