Weight loss interventions, including lifestyle modifications, pharmacological treatments, and bariatric surgery, improve cardiac function and reduce hospitalizations in patients with obesity and heart failure.
Do weight loss interventions improve outcomes in patients with obesity and heart failure?
Addressing obesity in heart failure patients through multidisciplinary weight management strategies is essential for improving cardiovascular health and optimizing advanced therapies.
Obesity and heart failure (HF) are two intersecting public health challenges, each with rising prevalence worldwide. Obesity alters cardiac structure and function, leading to ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction. However, weight loss interventions, whether through lifestyle changes, pharmacological agents, or bariatric surgery, can improve cardiac function, reduce symptoms, and lower hospitalization rates. Interestingly, the "obesity paradox" suggests that HF patients with obesity may experience better survival outcomes than HF patients with normal weight despite the adverse cardiac effects of obesity. Most importantly, focusing on strategies that aim to prevent HF in patients with obesity can potentially curb the burden of this chronic condition. This review explores the complex relationship between obesity and HF, emphasizing pathophysiological mechanisms, the paradoxical survival benefit, and the impact of weight loss strategies. A deeper understanding of this relationship is critical for optimizing care and outcomes in HF patients with obesity.
Alansari et al. (2025) conducted a review in Heart Failure and Obesity. Weight loss interventions (lifestyle, pharmacological, bariatric surgery) was evaluated. Weight loss interventions, including lifestyle modifications, pharmacological treatments, and bariatric surgery, improve cardiac function and reduce hospitalizations in patients with obesity and heart failure.