“If meaningful weight loss cannot be achieved, the focus should be on weight stability,” he said.
Researchers caution that the study doesn’t mean that every person with weight gain will develop heart failure, but say that weight changes may affect the heart muscle in ways that can change its function. More research is needed to show if aggressive weight management could reverse the changes.
Heart failure affects more than 6 million U.S. adults and is a drain on quality of life, causing symptoms such as shortness of breath and fatigue. The condition is also expensive, with total costs estimated at $30.7 billion.
The study appears in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
