Frequent weight change may lead to heart ailments

Frequent weight change may lead to heart ailments
PRESS TRUST OF INDIA

NEW DELHI, NOV 19: Women who repeatedly gain andl ose weight, especially those who are obese, have lower levels of HDL or "good" cholesterol, posing a significant risk for coronary artery disease, a research has suggested.

The study sponsored by US National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, said even thin women who repeatedly gain and lose weight show lower HDL levels than those who maintain their weight.

The journal defined weight cycling as intentionally losing at least 10 pounds at least three times during one's life.

The researchers studied 485 women who were undergoing coronary angiography to evaluate chest pains. Of the 130 participants, who reported a history of weight cycling, 19 per cent cycled 10-19 pounds, six per cent cycled 20-49 pounds and two per cent cycled 50 pounds or more.

Women with greater body mass index (BMI) tended to cycle more weight and exhibited lowest HDL levels.

The research reported weight cyclers had an average of seven per cent lower HDL levels.

This difference is crucial as previous studies have shown that with each unit increase in HDL cholesterol, women may reap a three per cent decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease.

Total cholesterol levels were found to be eight per cent higher in weight cyclers, according to the study.