Munich – a bit of A belly here, a little too much bacon, not too much movement – but actually, you will feel right at home. What can be in this constellation, is bad? A lot, says Professor Martin hall, Medical Director for Preventive and sports medicine of the technical University of Munich.

Because over the years, can develop from all these seemingly small things are dangerous cardiovascular disease. Conversely, you can avoid unpleasant phenomena such as the so-called atrial fibrillation alone through a healthy lifestyle very well, as the expert explained in an Interview.

About 15 percent of the Over-80-Year-olds have atrial fibrillation by the German heart Foundation. Sounds like a symptom of old age. You can influence yourself, whether you get later on, this heart rhythm disorder?

Halle: Yes, I have a lot of yourself in the Hand. Imagine someone with 25, 30 years is a bit overweight and a lot of sitting. Very slowly, a precursor of Diabetes developing over many years. The fat levels in the blood are slightly increased, the blood pressure increases and it accumulates fat, visible for example on the belly. Of all, only a little bit. That doesn’t sound so bad. The belly fat but for a persistent inflammatory reaction throughout the body, damaging the vessels. They are stiffer, you can say simplified. With each heartbeat, these inflammatory processes can reach the heart and change also, the tiny vessels that supply the heart muscle.

So, abdominal fat is dangerous for the heart?

hall: Yes, but not only that. What many do not know: fat is deposited directly to the heart muscle and leaves it there inflammatory factors as well as the belly fat. Thus, the inflammatory processes, the heart muscle will always maintain. That is to say: Not only are the vessels to become rigid, but also the heart muscle itself. This is a stupid Situation. People feel most healthy. But you have practically a bomb in the body.

What do these inflammatory reactions with the heartbeat?

hall: The heartbeat works simply put: There is an electrical impulse, and transmitted via the so – called conduction system of the heart muscle, the heart contracts and pumps blood. This charming performance, the system must be thought of as a network of cables. The cable must, of course-intact. Otherwise the System gets out of control. Due to the inflammation processes, the cable is broken. The result of rhythm disturbances such as atrial fibrillation. Among other things, therefore, Obesity increases the risk for atrial fibrillation five-fold.

If someone has now set a little fat – can these processes at all undo?

Halle: In the case of obese children is still quite easy. If you lose weight and do sports, are the vessels, usually within a few weeks again in order. After about ten years, but a hardening, which is only due to improvable is a malfunction of the blood vessels. At some point it comes to structural changes. Since we are talking of 20 to 30 years.

What can patients do to counter them?

Halle: In the first place: careful reduce weight until you are back to a normal weight. Then sports. The need to be a performance sport. If you get a couch potato to go out every day 30 minutes of walking, then of his pre-Diabetes will lose again. The blood sugar values improve, often dramatically. Both Slimming and exercise – leads to the inflammation of the lose weight reactions. The blood pressure drops, and usually also a little less pressure on the vascular system and the heart rests. All together not at best, that the heart device at all from the clock.

And what if someone has atrial fibrillation? Then it is too late?

hall: You can obtain at any time for improvement. A weight loss and physical Training result in the number of atrial fibrillation-decreases episodes. Specifically: If you get about 10 percent better Fitness, then you have atrial fibrillation within five years, 35 percent less. And if it decreases 10 percent in weight, then one has only half as many episodes of atrial fibrillation. Usually the two go naturally Hand-in-Hand. The disease can be alone, through the life-style significantly influence. TO the PERSON: Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Martin hall is the medical Director for Preventive and sports medicine, Klinikum rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich and an expert of the German heart Foundation.

The counselor “heart beat: atrial fibrillation”, the German heart Foundation provides information on the causes, current diagnostic and treatment options of atrial fibrillation, as well as the coagulation inhibition. The Band (136 PP.) is available free of charge under www.herzstiftung.de or by Tel. +49 69 955128400 and bestellung@herzstiftung.de.

dpa/tmn