How does obesity and smoking impact heart? Know how lifestyle changes can make a difference
Smoking and obesity are major risk factors for heart failure, although both are treatable. Healthy living may prevent and control these risk factors and dramatically lower heart failure risk.
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FollowHeart failure is a medical condition where the heart does not pump blood as efficiently as it should. This often leads to fatigue, shortness of breath, and fluid retention (particularly in the lower limbs). Currently, India is staring at an escalating heart failure crisis. Several studies have shown that, in India, annually, about 10 million individuals are affected by heart failure. In 2022, heart attacks (one of the leading causes of heart failure) led to over 32,000 deaths in India, a 12.5% rise from the previous year. Unfortunately, the majority of heart failure cases are linked to preventable risk factors such as smoking and obesity.
Obesity and Heart Failure:
Obesity is a rising epidemic in India and globally. As per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-2021) around 24% women and 20% men in India are overweight or obese. Around 15-25% of heart failure cases in India are due to obesity. Due to sedentary lifestyles and poor dietary habits this prevalence is steadily increasing. Here’s how obesity increases the risk of heart failure:
- Increased cardiac output - The excess body weight puts additional strain on the heart, causing it to pump harder, leading to increased metabolic demand on the heart which weakens the heart muscle over time.
- Increased risk of clot formation - Obesity contributes to other cardiovascular risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes, thereby, leading to heart failure.
- Chronic Inflammation - Obesity triggers ongoing inflammation, damaging the heart and blood vessels.
Smoking and Heart Failure:
Smoking remains one of the most preventable causes of heart disease and heart failure. In India smoking contributes to 20-30% of heart failure cases in India. The harmful chemicals in tobacco smoke, particularly nicotine, damage the blood vessels, reduce oxygen flow through the blood, and increase the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD), a key driver of heart failure. Smoking can also cause abnormal heart rhythms directly or due to associated heart and lung diseases, that results in weakening the heart over time.
How Lifestyle Changes Can Make a Difference
Although obesity and smoking have a significant impact on heart failure, it is crucial to understand both risk factors are modifiable. A healthy lifestyle can help prevent and manage these risk factors and significantly avoid or reduce the risk of heart failure.
Even modest weight loss can reduce the risk of heart failure for obese individuals. Regular exercise—such as walking, swimming, or cycling for at least 150 minutes per week—strengthens the heart and improves cardiovascular fitness. A healthy, balanced diet helps maintain a healthy weight, reduces blood pressure, and improves cholesterol levels.
Quitting smoking is yet another effective way to reduce the risk of heart failure. Although not completely reversible, smoking cessation significantly contributes to lowering the risk of heart failure. Studies state that the risk of coronary artery disease is halved within a year of quitting smoking.
This article is written by Dr. Saikat Kanjilal - Consultant Interventional Cardiologist, Manipal Hospital, Sarjapur Road, Bangalore
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