Weight fluctuation increases the risk of heart attack even in healthy people

People with high blood pressure, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels are more likely to have heart attacks and strokes, a study shows.

"Obesity and the constant rise in blood pressure, cholesterol and sugar have always been associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes and death," said Dr Seung-hwan Lee, who led the study and works at Seoul's Catholic University in Seoul.

"However, little is known about what happens when people experience fluctuations in so-called metabolic risk factors over time, especially if they are not diagnosed with diabetes or high blood pressure," he said.

During the study, Lee and colleagues examined data collected by the National Health Insurance System in South Korea from 2005 to 2012 for more than 6.7 million people who had never suffered from heart attacks, diabetes, high blood pressure or increased cholesterol. They all underwent at least three medical examinations during the study period and the researchers continued half of them for more than 5.5 years.

During the follow-up period, there were about 55,000 deaths, more than 22,000 strokes and more than 21,000 heart attacks.

Compared with people with a slight difference in weight, blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels, individuals with the greatest variability in these measurements were 2.3 times more likely to die during the study period and were more likely to have a heart attack or stroke than 40 percent.

"It would be wise for patients to avoid repeating and losing weight in order to maintain cardiovascular health," said Mary Pier Stung, a researcher at the Evring Medical Center at Columbia University in New York City.

Stung, who did not participate in the study, said by e-mail that people who are overweight or obese should not be discouraged from trying to lose excess weight under the pretext that weight fluctuations can harm their health. Instead, they should set achievable weight-loss targets that will enable them to maintain their lost pounds and avoid weight gain again.

"Weight gain puts stress on the body that can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes," Stung said.