Your heart is calling: How weight loss protects your heart health

Carrying extra weight doesn’t just affect how your clothes fit; it also puts considerable strain on your heart.

Because excess weight makes the heart work harder, it increases the chances of developing high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and Type 2 diabetes — all of which increase your risk for heart attack and heart disease.

The good news is that even modest weight loss can significantly reduce these risks and improve your heart health.

The cardiovascular benefits of losing weight

Learning how extra weight affects your body’s systems can help you understand its impact on heart health.

Because your heart has to work harder to circulate blood when you have excess weight, it’s more common to develop high blood pressure, or hypertension. Hypertension causes damage to the arteries, reducing blood flow and oxygen to the heart, which raises the risk of heart disease.

Having extra weight can also affect your cholesterol levels. It raises LDL cholesterol (considered the “bad” cholesterol), while lowering HDL cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol). It also increases triglycerides, a type of fat found in the blood. High LDL and triglycerides can lead to fatty buildup in your blood vessels, which may trap clots and potentially cause a heart attack.

The risk of Type 2 diabetes increases because your body may become insulin resistant if you’re carrying extra weight. As the pancreas struggles to produce enough insulin, blood glucose levels rise, making it harder for your body to regulate blood sugar. People with diabetes are twice as likely to develop heart disease.

Sleep apnea, a disorder that disrupts breathing during sleep, is another condition associated with an increased risk of heart disease. It’s more common in people carrying excess weight — estimates show that 45 percent of people with obesity have sleep apnea.

For those who are carrying extra weight, losing 2-3 percent of your total body weight reduces your risk factors for these conditions, with even more benefits at 5-10 percent, according to the American Heart Association.

Losing weight helps:

• Lower blood pressure
• Lower LDL and triglycerides while raising HDL
• Reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and diabetes-related heart complications
• Improve or resolve sleep apnea
• Lower inflammatory markers linked to heart disease
• Lessen the strain on the heart muscle and improve circulation

Lifestyle tips that support heart-healthy weight loss

While the benefits of weight loss are clear, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight requires a comprehensive lifestyle approach. Sustainable weight loss isn’t about extreme diets or quick fixes. It’s about making lasting changes to your daily habits that support both your heart health and overall health.

Lifestyle factors that promote weight loss and heart health include:

Balanced nutrition: Focus on Mediterranean-style eating, rich in whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins and healthy fats. Limit processed foods, added sugars, saturated fats and excess sodium.

Regular physical activity: Incorporate both cardiovascular/aerobic exercise and strength training into your routine to burn calories, build muscle and strengthen your heart. Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, along with resistance training at least twice a week. Remember that any movement is better than none, so start where you are and gradually increase your activity.

Getting good sleep: Prioritizing quality sleep helps regulate hormones that control hunger and metabolism. Poor sleep is linked to weight gain and increased cardiovascular risk. If you have sleep apnea or are at risk for sleep apnea, talk to your doctor or other health care provider for proper treatment.

Managing stress: Chronic stress can lead to emotional eating and trigger hormonal changes that promote weight gain. Find healthy stress management techniques that work for you, such as meditation, yoga or connecting with loved ones.

What the research says about weight-loss medications and heart health

For some people, especially those who have obesity and cardiovascular risk factors, lifestyle changes alone may not be enough to achieve meaningful weight loss. In these cases, weight-loss drugs under the supervision of a medical weight-loss provider can be a powerful tool.

“When losing weight, effort doesn’t always mean success,” says Katie Hawley, ARNP, with MultiCare Rockwood Weight Loss & Bariatric Surgery Center. “That’s when a combination of diet, medication and someone to guide you who specifically understands how bodies work metabolically is very important.”

A recent study on GLP-1 medications, such as semaglutide, has shown a positive effect on heart health. The study showed a reduction in the risk of major cardiac events by about 20 percent, as well as improvement in LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and blood pressure.

Hawley wants to assure people that taking weight-loss drugs shouldn’t be seen as “taking the easy way out.”

“Obesity comes from many intrinsic hormonal genetic factors. Therefore, we treat it as a disease, like diabetes,” she adds. “It’s not an evaluation of willpower.”

A heart-healthy path forward

Getting to a healthier weight is not something that happens overnight. It may be tempting to try to lose weight as quickly as possible, but rapid weight loss can actually harm your heart and undermine long-term success. Instead, approach weight loss gradually by making healthy dietary changes and steadily increasing your physical activity.

“The idea of being overly restrictive and in too much of a caloric deficit, or losing weight too fast, is not overly helpful,” Hawley says. “When you lose weight too quickly, you’re burning muscle instead of fat.”

Keep in mind that sustainable weight loss takes time, and progress isn’t always measured in a straight line. Even though it can be discouraging at times, prioritizing weight loss is one of the most powerful steps you can take for your heart.

Whether you make lifestyle modifications alone or combine them with medications, the key is finding an approach you can maintain for the long term.