Being skinny is no guarantee of a healthy heart

So true...cholesteral can build up in your arteries even when your thin...
You can drop dead of a heart attack even though your thin...

That's why I still make an effort to excercise, even though I'm 'thin'...

 

My doctor told me that a lot of tall skinny people tend to have massive heart attacks that kill them because their heart gets overworked pumping blood through their bodies. Also a lot of skinny people never get their cholesterol checked because they figure that they are not fat, so they must be healthy.

 

I dont' put much stock in that article, although there are always anomalies to statistics. Bottom line I see from my studies both statistically and observationally is that you'll see a lot of very old skinny people. You won't see a lot of obese very old people.
Bruce Lee, blood clot.
When I had my heart attack (11 years ago) I was working out 3-4x/week, racing dirt bikes every weekend, and skate dancing a couple nights a week; totally buffed.
As I said, anomalies. When you look into the death stats of the obese, you see higher incidences at lower age groups. Despite a really healthy diet and exersize which raised my ejection factor from 30% after the attack to a now strong 65%, I was just warned about my cholesterol levels and put on meds for it.
Anyone who's had heart issues has to be way more careful about diet, salt, stress, etc. since you have a higher chance of future problems.
Dang. Now I gotta get off the cheese!

 

Good information....but as far as George Norwels quote....not all men are 'rough'.

You can be an effective defender...and not be some rough tough goblin type...

 

But i'd still rather be thin than heavy...

And I've never heard any docter say that...I mean yes, we all have to die somehow...the heart can't beat forever whether one is thin or heavy...

The heart doesnt have to work hard for thin people...cause all the blood goes to the muscles....and other neccisary organs...

Fat on the other hand...is not an essential organ...

Everytime I go to the docter...my blood pressure is phenominal...cause my heart is effecient....cause theirs no fat to send blood to...

I'd like the name of the docter who told you that...
One of my sisters a docter...

 

A. My doctor was not promoting people being overweight. I asked him about a person we both knew who was TALL and SKINNY and died of a heart attack. He told me what I wrote earlier. He used famous basketball players like Reggie Lewis and Hank Gathers as examples. They were very tall players, and he said the heart works harder to pump blood through those arteries. Overweight people had just as many heart problems, no doubt.
B.If you have high bad cholesterol; it doesn't matter if you're overweight or thin you're at risk of a heart attack. You go to the doctor, so you obviously have everything checked. That's good because a lot of people don't and they are taking unecessary risks with their health.
C. It wouldn't be appropiate for me to name my doctor on this forum. I was just responding to the article. I was NOT promoting people being overweight. Sorry if you misunderstood.

 

When your number is up..........

Just ask Jim Fixx.... well you can't...... he had a massive coronary.

 

My mom was 5'4" and weighed only 98 lbs. when she married my dad in 1963. She's always been a healthy eater and physically fit, but she was born with a heart murmur so she does have to take it easy. So I guess it's true, skinny does not equal a healthy heart.

 

Well, the reason I used a couple anecdotes including myself was to point out that there are anomalies to any statistic. But the article is wrong, flat out wrong. The larger portion of early death is attributed to obese, not thin people. Notice that it says "the first national estimate of its kind" pointed out a new statistic. Not any previous style of polling that we've been using for decades to study health effects.
I recall trying often to help people stop smoking, (back when I cared) and I heard all kinds of things like 'my grandmother smoked until she was 86'...but that doesn't skew the fact that 85% of smokers die of cancers.