It’s common knowledge that losing weight can help, to a degree, with many different health problems. It can help with diabetes, blood pressure, and cholesterol. It can also help with an irregular heartbeat, studies now show.

Atrial fibrillation is an irregular and often rapid heartbeat. It can lead to poor blood flow throughout the rest of the body. A procedure called cardiac ablation can help correct this problem. However, some 30% of patients need to have the same procedure repeated in order to continue to remain free of atrial fibrillation.

When patients asked their doctors what could be done for a more successful outcome, researches decided to follow 400 patients with the disorder over a period of three years. What they found was that obesity was a common cause of the condition. They also found that losing at least 10 pounds and keeping it off helped those patients to see significant improvement in the success of the procedure. However, those who lost weight and gained it back had the worst results.

Another study had the same researchers follow 1,500 patients with atrial fibrillation. Each patient was classified according to their BMI; underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese. They found that for those in the overweight and obese categories, that their chance for recurrence dropped along with their BMI. Those at the extreme ends of the scale – those who were underweight and obese – had the highest chance of heart failure.

Researchers suggested that while losing weight was important, so was getting some form of exercise daily.

If you need help with your diet or an exercise program, contact Frank Tortorici today for an appointment. Whatever your diet or fitness goals, Frank Tortorici can help you meet them.