Obesity and Risk for Heart Disease

From Geriatrics Student Dana Ross Pharm.D.(c)
Palm Beach Atlantic University School of Pharmacy

Researchers found that obese patients were two times more likely to develop heart disease and related conditions than their normal-weight counterparts. Researchers looked at patients for 5 years in the United States in office visits. They monitored disease progression and onset of obese patients versus normal weight individuals by chart reviews for certain disease states. These disease states included diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia.

The study looked at patients BMI (Body Mass Index) to classify their weight category.
Investigators claim to have confirmed a correlation between obesity and heart disease related diseases. They found patients with obesity to be at greater than double the risk for developing chronic disease states, specifically relating to coronary, or heart conditions and health.

These findings are important for the medical community because obesity is such a growing health problem in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control says obesity is found in greater than 33% of American adults! This will open the publics eyes about obesity and its health risks and hopefully spark some changes.

Losing Weight to Maintain Kidney Function in Overweight Patients

from Pharmacy Intern Lynda Pardo, Pharm.D.(c)
Palm Beach Atlantic University, Lloyd L. Gregory School of Pharmacy


In a study conducted through a meta-analysis and systematic review published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, it was found that patients who were overweight or obese and lost weight using either surgical or non-surgical procedures decreased the decline of the functions of their kidneys. The subjects under investigation were patients who had mild to moderate CKD (Chronic Kidney Disease), not dependent upon dialysis, and the filtration rate of their kidneys was higher than normal.
The researchers found that overweight patients with declining kidney function who lost weight utilizing non-surgical procedures where able to bring down their BMI (body-mass index), protein in their urine, blood pressure, and halt the decline of their glomerular filtration rate. Long-standing hypertension (high blood pressure), proteinuria, and a disfunctioning filtration system can potentially lead to end-stage renal failure if not controlled properly and promptly.
For obese patients in whom surgical procedures where used to assist in their weight loss and who suffered from overfiltration by the kidneys, these patients also had a decline in their BMI, blood pressure, protein in the urine, and the glomerular filtration rate.
Although researchers discovered some further benefits of losing weight as it relates to improvement of renal function, they feel that long-term, as opposed to their short term studies are needed to evaluate the results of possible progression to end-stage renal disease.
This study was also able to show that decreasing variables such as blood pressure and microalbuminuria can not only prevent cardiovascular diseases but also renal diseases as well.