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Obesity and the risk for cardiovascular disease
Mitchell N Rashid1, Francisco Fuentes, Robert C Touchon
1Department of Internal Medicine, Marshall University School of Medicine, Huntington, WV 25701, USA. rashid1@marshall.edu
Insights
Obesity is an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), particularly in young men. Effective obesity management, including new treatments and multidisciplinary prevention strategies, is crucial for reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Metabolic Disorders
Background:
- Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of mortality in the US.
- Established risk factors for CHD include hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking.
- Rising obesity rates in the US are increasingly linked to CHD.
Purpose of the Study:
- To establish obesity as an independent risk factor for CHD.
- To review current and novel management strategies for obesity.
- To present a prevention model for obesity-related cardiovascular risk.
Main Methods:
- Review of epidemiological studies (Framingham Heart Study, Nurses Health Study, Buffalo Health Study, Cancer Prevention Study II).
- Analysis of correlations between obesity, morbid obesity, and CHD mortality.
- Evaluation of emerging treatments and multidisciplinary approaches for obesity management.
Main Results:
- Obesity is confirmed as an independent risk factor for CHD.
- Morbid obesity significantly increases mortality risk from CHD, especially in young men.
- New therapeutic avenues, including antiangiogenic agents like thalidomide, are being explored.
Conclusions:
- Preventing and managing obesity is paramount for reducing cardiovascular disease risk.
- A multidisciplinary approach integrating behavioral, medical, and surgical interventions is essential.
- Primary and secondary prevention models are vital for managing obesity and its associated CHD risks.
Abstract:
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of mortality in the United States. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and smoking have all been directly related to CHD. Obesity is on the rise in the United States and has also been associated with CHD. This review clearly establishes obesity as an independent risk factor for CHD as demonstrated by the Framingham Heart Study, Nurses Health Study, Buffalo Health Study, and the Cancer Prevention Study II. Morbid obesity was found to correlate with a significant risk of mortality from CHD, especially in young men. Prevention of obesity, and therefore reduction in risk from cardiovascular disease, is paramount in the management of obesity. New approaches to behavioral, medical, and surgical management of obesity are reviewed, including thalidomide, an antiangiogenic agent. A primary and secondary prevention model details a multidisciplinary approach to reducing risk in obesity.