Slimming down could be the solution to a range of health problems, at least as far as most recent studies are concerned. According to a team from the University of Otago and Oxford, obese women may be at greater risk of developing blood clots than those weighing normally.
The blood clot referred to in this study is called venous thromboembolism (VTE). An extensive trial was conducted where the investigators examined data from questionnaires of roughly 1 million women. Females with median age 56 participated in the analysis which went on for almost 6 years.
“We also found that women who were overweight or obese were more likely to undergo surgery than those in a healthy weight range. So heavier women are more likely to have surgery, and they are more likely to develop blood clots following that surgery,†commented Dr Lianne Parkin from the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine at the University of Otago.
As per the observations, obese women were likelier to undergo surgeries which subsequently predisposed them to life-threatening blood clots. This was not the case with women with optimal BMI. Basically, surgery seemed to increase the risk of blood clot, which elevated with growing BMI. The signs appeared to show up as early as 12 weeks following an inpatient operation.
Something to understand here is that weight loss even by a few kilos is likely to weaken this link between obesity and blood clots, the team concluded. The report is published in this week’s issue of the journal, Circulation.