GARDEN ROUTE NEWS - South Africa’s growing burden of obesity and cardiovascular disease is putting renewed focus on the role of weight management in reducing long-term health risks.
With World Heart Day observed on 29 September under the theme ‘Don’t Miss a Beat’, healthcare providers are highlighting the relationship between excess weight, metabolic health and cardiovascular strain - and the potential role of medically managed weight-loss programmes in addressing these risks earlier.
Dr Gerhard Vosloo, founder and head consulting practitioner of Dr GL Vosloo Medical Practice, managed by BioWell, says weight management should increasingly be considered as part of a broader approach to cardiovascular health.
“Excess weight, particularly around the waist, can place additional demands on the cardiovascular system,” says Vosloo. “The important point is that these changes can develop gradually, often before a person experiences an obvious cardiac event.”
Carrying excess weight increases the amount of tissue that needs to be supplied with blood, placing additional demands on the heart. Over time, this can contribute to changes in the heart muscle and is often accompanied by other risk factors such as high blood pressure, impaired blood-sugar regulation and abnormal cholesterol levels.
For healthcare businesses, this is creating a shift towards more comprehensive weight-management services that consider a patient’s wider metabolic health rather than focusing solely on the number on the scale.
Moving beyond the number on the scale
Vosloo says an effective weight-management programme should begin with an assessment of the patient's overall health.
Factors such as waist circumference, blood pressure, resting heart rate, medication, sleep, activity levels and medical history can help doctors establish whether excess weight is already contributing to cardiovascular or metabolic risk.
Where prescription treatment is appropriate, medication should form part of a monitored treatment plan rather than being viewed as a standalone solution. Dosages may need to be adjusted according to the patient's response and changing health requirements.
The emphasis is increasingly on individualised care, with doctors monitoring changes in weight, appetite, blood pressure and metabolic health throughout treatment.
Another consideration is the quality of weight loss. Rapid reductions in body weight can include the loss of lean muscle if nutrition and physical activity are not properly managed.
“Being lighter does not necessarily mean being healthier,” says Vosloo. “Protecting muscle mass, maintaining adequate nutrition and supporting physical strength should remain important components of medically managed weight loss.”
Protein intake, resistance exercise, hydration, appropriate supplementation and regular medical follow-ups can therefore form part of a broader weight-management programme.
Greater emphasis on metabolic health
Before beginning treatment, medical practices can use blood tests and a patient's medical history to build a clearer picture of their metabolic health.
At Dr GL Vosloo Medical Practice, assessments may include blood count, kidney and liver function, cholesterol and blood sugar, together with tests relating to insulin sensitivity, thyroid function, iron, vitamin D and urine markers associated with kidney health.
These assessments can help identify metabolic factors that may be contributing to a patient's cardiovascular risk and provide a baseline against which progress can be monitored.
However, Vosloo stresses that blood tests are not a substitute for a cardiac assessment.
Patients experiencing unexplained breathlessness, chest discomfort, palpitations or a noticeable decline in exercise capacity should discuss these symptoms with their doctor. Where a patient's history, symptoms or examination indicate a potential cardiac problem, further investigation or referral to a cardiologist may be required.
A preventative healthcare opportunity
The intersection between obesity, metabolic health and cardiovascular disease also points to a broader opportunity for healthcare providers: moving the conversation around weight management from appearance and short-term weight loss towards longer-term health outcomes.
For patients, this means that a medically supervised programme can incorporate weight reduction with monitoring of cardiovascular and metabolic risk factors. For healthcare providers, it creates an increasingly integrated approach to managing some of the conditions that commonly accompany excess weight.
As World Heart Day highlights the importance of recognising cardiovascular risks before they become emergencies, the growing focus on metabolic health reinforces the value of earlier intervention.
A structured, doctor-led approach to weight management, supported by ongoing monitoring and lifestyle changes, may help patients reduce excess body fat while protecting muscle mass and addressing some of the metabolic factors associated with cardiovascular risk.
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