Moderate Weight Loss Improves Heart Function
Moderate Weight Loss Improves Heart Function:”
David Goodhue - AHN Reporter
St. Louis, MO (AHN) - Moderate weight loss in obese people helps improve their overall cardiovascular health, according to a recent study.
Researchers with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis said that weight loss led to decreased thickness of the 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 are predictors of heart failure, while increased carotid artery thickness is a predictor of plaque formation, the researchers said in a statement.
The study’s participants were assigned to either a low-fat or low-carbohydrate diet. Both groups experienced similar weight-loss improvements.
The study is published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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