Obesity and Heart Health: Why Age Matters
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Introduction
Obesity is widely recognized as a major risk factor for heart disease. But recent research from South Korea has shown that age plays a big role in how obesity affects our heart health—especially when it comes to something called coronary artery calcification (CAC), an early sign of heart problems.
What Is Coronary Artery Calcification?
Coronary artery calcification is a buildup of calcium in the walls of the arteries that supply blood to the heart. It is a clear sign of early atherosclerosis, even before symptoms appear. The higher the CAC score, the higher the risk of future heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.
Study Highlights
Researchers analyzed health records from over 182,000 Korean adults. They looked at body mass index (BMI), a common measure of body fat, and how it relates to CAC. Participants were grouped by their BMI—underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese—and also by age. The results showed that both age and obesity influence CAC risk, but in different ways.
Obesity and CAC Risk in Younger Adults
One key finding was that obesity increased the risk of CAC in adults aged 60 and under. Even people who were considered “metabolically healthy” (no diabetes or high blood pressure) but had obesity were more likely to have CAC compared to those with normal weight. This challenges the idea that someone can be “healthy but obese” when it comes to heart health.
What About Older Adults?
Interestingly, in adults over 60, obesity did not show a strong link with CAC. In fact, older adults had higher CAC levels overall, but the effect of obesity was less clear. This may be because aging itself brings changes in blood vessels, bone health, and overall metabolism. Some experts even talk about an “obesity paradox,” where higher body weight might be linked to better survival in some older people with heart disease.
Metabolic Health Also Matters
The study grouped people into four types based on weight and metabolic health:
- Metabolically healthy non-obese
- Metabolically healthy obese
- Metabolically unhealthy non-obese
- Metabolically unhealthy obese
Those with both obesity and metabolic problems had the highest CAC levels, but even “healthy” obese individuals had more CAC than lean, healthy people.
What This Means for Prevention
This research shows that young and middle-aged adults with obesity—even if they don’t have other health problems—should not assume they are free of heart risk. Regular heart checkups and healthy lifestyle changes are important to reduce the risk of early atherosclerosis.
For older adults, the picture is more complex. While weight management remains important, other factors like blood pressure, cholesterol, and fitness may play a bigger role in heart health than weight alone.
Conclusion
Obesity is linked to early signs of heart disease, especially in adults under 60. This challenges the myth of “healthy obesity.” Age changes how obesity affects the heart, so heart health strategies should be tailored to both weight and age. Early awareness and action can make a big difference.