Crash Dieting Can Damage Your Heart

With summer on its way, many people are looking to perfect their “beach bod”, but getting your body in shape rapidly inevitably involves some form of crash diet to foster rapid weight loss. However, while such an approach may make you look good quickly, it can create problems for both your immune system and your heart.

Hayley Cimring, nutrition team leader at the Heart Foundation, says that crash diets are a popular way to reduce food intake to bring about weight loss. These diets usually require radical changes to eating patterns that are not healthy, practical or affordable in the long-term, which means they become unsustainable.

“Research suggests that rapid weight loss can slow your metabolism, leading to future weight gain, while depriving your body of essential nutrients. What’s more, crash diets can weaken your immune system and increase your risk of dehydration, heart palpitations and cardiac stress,” she explains.

Some fad diets can harm the heart due to the high intake of a single food group such as fat. Even though fat is a food group vital for bodily functions, it is advised to be consumed sparingly even when of good quality. Bad fats – such as saturated and trans fats – can increase blood cholesterol, one of the major risk factors for heart disease.”

Cimring adds that if you are concerned about heart disease, look out for these symptoms:

• pressure, fullness or a squeezing pain in the centre of your chest that lasts
  for more than a few minutes
• pain that spreads to your shoulder, one or both of your arms, your back, or even your teeth and jaw
• increasing episodes of chest pain
• shortness of breath, which may be a sign of heart problems.

 Eat well, manage stress, get moving 

“To achieve a successful and healthy weight loss, you need to apply a comprehensive approach that includes changing eating habits, increasing activity levels, and making changes to behavioural habits that will impact long-term heart health.

“It’s also worth noting that there is no one specific diet to help achieve healthy weight loss. Instead, it is far more important to find a new eating pattern that suits the individual and can be sustained long-term,” advises Cimring.

Gradual, sustained and healthy weight loss is best achieved by combining a healthy eating pattern with regular physical activity, she says. This is also good for the heart as it lowers blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar, all of which can increase the risk of heart disease if uncontrolled.

“Managing stress is another way to help alleviate a symptom that seldom causes heart disease on its own, but is nonetheless a well-known risk factor. Some of the best ways to achieve this are to cut bad habits. Rather than turning to alcohol, smoking or caffeine to relieve your stress, exercise regularly and eat a healthy balanced diet – this will help you to feel energised and keep your heart healthy.”

An estimated 70–80 per cent of heart disease and strokes can be prevented by your life choices and habits, Cimring suggests. In fact, she continues, making good nutritional choices is one of the best weapons you have in the fight against heart disease – even small improvements can make a big difference.

“Being active is one of the most valuable things you can do to help maintain a healthy weight and lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. Getting active should become a regular habit and a way of life. Any activity that gets you slightly out of breath and the heart pumping faster, counts. I would recommend trying a brisk walk, cycling, gym classes, soccer, swimming, dancing, gardening or even playing an active game with the kids,” she concludes.