Obesity strains the heart, crash dieting can too
AM730 · 1 SOURCESabout 2 hours ago2 MIN
Summary
More than half of adults in Hong Kong are overweight or obese, a trend that cardiologists say is not only a cosmetic issue but a direct burden on the cardiovascular system. Cardiologist Lai Wai-keung says obesity can damage blood vessels over time, while overly aggressive weight-loss methods may cause muscle loss and even weaken heart function.
Key Points
- Cardiologist Lai Wai-keung said fat tissue continuously releases inflammatory factors that impair blood-vessel lining, contributing over time to narrowing and atherosclerosis .
- He said Hong Kong and other Asian populations should use a stricter body-mass index threshold: below 23 is normal, 23 to 25 overweight, above 25 obese .
- Excess body fat also raises the risks of high cholesterol, hypertension, diabetes and sleep apnoea, all of which can further increase cardiac strain .
- Lai said many obese patients have no early symptoms and are often identified only after high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or coronary calcification appear .
- He warned that fasting, ketogenic diets and other rapid-loss approaches may trigger fatigue, poor mood, malnutrition, higher low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, raised uric acid, gallstones and kidney stress .
Why It Matters
The warning is relevant for Hong Kong readers because weight control is often pursued quickly, yet the doctor says healthy loss should be gradual, with balanced meals, regular exercise and enough protein to preserve muscle . Newer injectable GLP-1 receptor agonists may help some higher-risk patients, but Lai said they are generally recommended only for people with BMI above 30, or above 27 with existing cardiovascular disease, rather than for mildly overweight people without diabetes .