Gaining 15 pounds or more over several years puts one at greater risk for heart disease than those who are obese but maintain a stable weight, according to a recent study. Researchers at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago studied nearly 2,500 adults between ages 18 and 30 over 15 years. Most participants gained 15 pounds or more during the study, and 20 percent of these people developed risk factors for medical problems such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes. But only 4 percent of those who didn’t gain the weight had the risk factors after 15 years. These risk factors are known as metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is characterized by unhealthy traits, such as excessive belly fat, high cholesterol, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance or diabetes, and either a high normal blood pressure or hypertension. Researchers say, “Weight gain is a nearly universal phenomenon in our society today. Greater public health efforts should be aimed at weight stabilization over the long term. The best defense is decreasing the amount they eat and increasing their physical activity.”
SOURCE: American Heart Association’s annual Scientific Sessions in New Orleans, Nov. 7-10, 2004