“Slow and Steady Wins the Race.” Combating Obesity and Cardiovascular Disease Through Healthy Lifestyle Behaviors: A Case Report

Background: Obesity is a neuroendocrine disease with a complex and multifactorial etiology and pathogenesis related to genetic, biological, psychosocial, sociocultural, economic, and environmental factors. Obesity and related cardiometabolic disorders are highly prevalent in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). One in 4 adults in the UAE are living with obesity, which poses significant individual and economic burdens. Hence, obesity and its comorbidities are a great public health concern. Aim: This case report aims to discuss an illustrative case of a UAE resident who, in 2013, at the age of 38, suffered from a heart attack. At the time, he was morbidly obese. This case report touches upon unhealthy lifestyle behaviors of our illustrative case subject that contributed to the ontogeny of obesity and the associated adverse cardiometabolic outcomes. Methods: PubMed, Scopus, Embase, Science Direct, Web of Science, and Pro-Quest databases were searched for relevant articles on obesity, cardiovascular disease and lifestyle behavioral modifications. Results: This case report illustrates how lifestyle changes and adopting healthy habits can reverse obesity and restore cardiometabolic health. This case report underlines the importance of adopting healthy habits with a focus on diet, intermittent and prolonged fasting, and physical activity as potent lifestyle interventions to promote effective weight management and improve cardiometabolic health. Conclusion: Practical, clinically meaningful personalized lifestyle interventions tailored to an individual’s health goals and requirements are most effective in enacting behavioral changes for combating obesity and promoting cardiometabolic health.