ADOPTING HEART-HEALTHY HABITS CAN LEAD to clinically significant weight loss. A healthy diet combined with more exercise can promote weight loss. On the other hand, skipping meals and using prescription diet pills do not appear to improve long-term weight. Today we explore eight ways to improve your heart and lose weight. Good Weight, Good Heart.
Ohio State University (USA) researchers recently examined adherence to the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8 recommendations among people with and without clinically significant weight loss. Here are their findings:
Increased exercise and a healthy diet promote weight loss. Skipping meals and using prescription diet pills were not linked to long-term weight control.
Obesity is common in the USA.
Nearly one in three adults (31 percent) are overweight in the United States. More than two in five adults (42.4 percent) are obese.
Obesity can lead to health problems. These health issues include type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, fatty liver disease, and more.
Given the health problems associated with being overweight or obese, adopting a healthy lifestyle should be a central element for those striving to reduce their risk.
Life’s Essential 8 to improve heart health
In this context, in 2022, the American Heart Association (AHA) released “Life’s Essential 8,” a checklist with eight lifestyle recommendations to improve and maintain heart health:
- Eat better: Follow a balanced diet consisting of unprocessed, nutrient-rich foods, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, legumes, fish, plant-based proteins, lean animal proteins, and skinless poultry.
- Be more active: Try to get at least 150 minutes of moderate (or 75 minutes of vigorous) physical activity weekly.
- Quit tobacco
- Get healthy sleep: Most adults need seven to nine hours nightly.
- Manage weight.
- Control cholesterol: Managing your low-density-lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels is important for overall health.
- Manage blood sugar: Tracking your hemoglobin A1c can help you check your blood sugar levels.
- Manage blood pressure: Adults should maintain blood pressure levels below 120/80 mm Hg.
The Life’s Essential 8 recommendations are vital to optimizing heart health, but it has been uncertain whether those trying to drop weight adhere to the guidelines.
Adherence to Life’s Essential 8 and Weight Loss
Does adherence to Life’s Essential Eight correlate with clinically significant weight loss? The answer is not surprising, with The Ohio State University (USA) researchers reporting the following:
More exercise and a healthy diet promote successful weight loss.
The study also highlights that people trying to drop weight may benefit from keeping their heart health in mind.
Let’s get more granular. Of 20,305 individuals, 2,840 intentionally lost a minimum of five percent of their body weight in the prior year. Researchers defined clinically significant as losing this amount. The remaining 17,465 people did not lose at least five pounds.
Among those with clinically significant weight loss, 78 percent reported exercising. For the group without weight loss, 63 percent did exercise.
The researchers analyzed diet, too. Those with clinically significant weight loss had better diet quality (regarding added sugars, refined grains, and total protein). Interestingly, the weight loss group had poorer quality in terms of sodium.
Key points — 8 Ways Improve Your Heart Health
Question. Are those who successfully lose weight more likely to adhere to the American Heart Association’s Life’s Essential 8?
Findings. US adults who lost significant weight loss in the prior 12 months reported higher overall diet quality, greater physical activity levels, and greater adoption of evidence‐based weight loss strategies compared to those who did not have clinically significant weight loss.
Meaning. Perhaps not surprisingly, those losing weight adhered more to Life’s Essential 8. Most American adults do not comply with the American Heart Association guidelines.
While this study does not prove a causal relationship, common sense suggests adherence to Life’s Essential 8 can facilitate weight loss and improved cardiovascular risk.
In addition, using self‐reported data for prior‐year body weight to determine weight loss, diet intake, physical activity, and smoking may be subject to misreporting.
To how many of Life’s Essential 8 do you adhere?
If you know someone with breast cancer, here is my comprehensive online course:
Breast Cancer – What a Patient Needs to Know.
Breast cancer information can be incredibly valuable for navigating breast cancer management. breastcancerbydrhunter.thinkific.com.
The information I provided in this blog is for educational purposes only and does not substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult a medical professional or healthcare provider for medical advice, diagnoses, or treatment. I am not liable for risks or issues associated with using or acting upon the information in this blog.
Thank you for reading “Good Weight, Good Heart.”
