Weight
Connection to Heart Conditions and Overall Health Not Completely
Understood by Most People, affirms new US Study by Cleveland Clinic

February
is heart month and Cleveland Clinic health experts have joined hands
to raise awareness about the cardiovascular disease. Heart disease is
the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and around the world.
The hospital conducted a survey as part of their “Love your Heart”
consumer education campaign in celebration of Heart Month and will be
participating in the upcoming Cayman Heart Fund International
Symposium next month. Cleveland
Clinic has been ranked the No. 1 hospital in US for cardiology and
cardiac surgery for 24 years in a row by US News & World Report.

The
study found most people understand that there is a connection between
a healthy heart and healthy weight, yet most aren’t doing enough
–or anything – to combat their own weight issues. Less than half
the population surveyed (43 percent) have tried to make dietary
changes to lose weight and 40 percent of those who describe
themselves as overweight or obese say they aren’t careful about
which foods they eat.

Part
of the problem may be that most people aren’t sure what to eat for
heart health. Nearly one-in-five (18 percent) surveyed believe their
diet has nothing to do with their heart health, and a mere 14 percent
knew that a Mediterranean diet is healthiest for heart health.

The
survey also revealed that people don’t fully understand the impact
excess weight has on their heart and overall health. The overwhelming
majority of those surveyed (87 percent) fail to link obesity to
cancer or atrial fibrillation (80 percent). More than half also don’t
know that obesity is linked to high “bad” cholesterol levels (54
percent) or coronary artery disease (57 percent) and two-thirds (64
percent) don’t know it can lead to a stroke.

“It
seems we are not grasping that the leading causes of death and
disability – stroke, cancer, coronary artery disease – are all
adversely affected by increased weight,” said Steven Nissen, M.D.,
chairman of Cardiovascular Medicine at Cleveland Clinic. “We need
to do a better job of educating patients and the public about the
major consequences of carrying excess weight and the benefits of
losing weight. A patient only needs to lose five percent of their
body weight to start seeing important health benefits.”

Most
surveyed believe their metabolism is detrimental to weight loss –
60 percent of women and 46 percent of men surveyed say their
metabolism is working against them. According to Nissen, “Once
you’ve been overweight, your body tries to hold on to that excess
fat, making it more difficult to lose weight. It’s best to work
with your physician to develop a steady long-term weight loss plan
that will help you keep off the pounds. Quick weight loss programs
are not effective.”

Cleveland
Clinic Advises:

• 
  All
  fat is not created equal: When
  it comes to body shapes, almost half surveyed (45%) falsely believe
  that all types of fat put you at equal risk for heart disease;
  however, numerous studies have shown that fat stored in the abdomen
  is the most dangerous.
  
  
• 
  Not
  feeling the pressure: For
  many, outside pressure to lose the weight doesn’t help.
  Fifty-seven percent surveyed say they don’t need others to tell
  them to lose weight because they already know they should.
  
  
• 
  Seeking
  medical advice: While 44
  percent of those surveyed say they are most likely to turn to their
  physician for nutrition advice, only a quarter (28 percent) have
  told their doctor they’d like to lose weight. Even less (22
  percent) say they’ve discussed heart health in relation to their
  weight with their doctor.
  
  

Interventional
cardiology
specialist
Dr.
Robert Cubbedu from Cleveland Clinic Florida will join other experts
and discuss the latest achievements, scientific updates, new
technology approaches and guidelines required to improve patient care
at the upcoming Symposium on March 14.

Methodology

Cleveland
Clinic’s survey of the general population gathered insights into
Americans’ perceptions of heart health and weight. This
was an online survey conducted among a national probability sample
consisting of 1,002 adults 18 years of age and older, living in the
continental United States. The total sample data is nationally
representative based on age, gender, ethnicity and educational
attainment census data. The online survey was conducted by Research
Now and completed between September 20 and September 28, 2018. The
margin of error for the total sample at the 95% confidence level is
+/- 3.1 percentage points.

About
Cleveland Clinic

Cleveland
Clinic is a nonprofit multispecialty academic medical center that
integrates clinical and hospital care with research and education.
Located in Cleveland, Ohio, it was founded in 1921 by four renowned
physicians with a vision of providing outstanding patient care based
upon the principles of cooperation, compassion and innovation.
Cleveland Clinic has pioneered many medical breakthroughs, including
coronary artery bypass surgery and the first face transplant in the
United States. U.S.
News & World Report consistently
names Cleveland Clinic as one of the nation’s best hospitals in its
annual “America’s Best Hospitals” survey. Among Cleveland
Clinic’s 52,000 employees are more than 3,600 full-time salaried
physicians and researchers and 14,000 nurses, representing 140
medical specialties and subspecialties. Cleveland Clinic’s health
system includes a 165-acre main campus near downtown Cleveland, 15
regional hospitals (11 in Ohio, four in Florida), more than 150
northern Ohio outpatient locations – including 18 full-service
family health centers and three health and wellness centers – and
locations in Las Vegas, Nev.; Toronto, Canada; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and
London, England. In 2017, there were 7.6 million outpatient visits,
229,000 hospital admissions and 207,000 surgical cases throughout
Cleveland Clinic’s health system. Patients came for treatment from
every state and 185 countries. Visit us at
clevelandclinic.org. Follow
us at twitter.com/ClevelandClinic.
News and resources available at newsroom.clevelandclinic.org.

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