Obesity, IL6, and the Cause of Heart Failure

Extra fat does a lot more than clog arteries.  Inflammatory proteins coming from fat directly damage the heart – whether you feel just fine or not.  That is the conclusion of new John Hopkins Medicine¹ research tracking 7000 obese men and women across the United States – watching them descend from no heart disease into poor cardiovascular health.

About 30% of cells within fat are immune cells.  When fat grows as you gain weight the immune cell population not only grows but the immune cells themselves become hyper-active and start generating excess inflammation in the form of interleukin 6 Type of inflammatory cytokine secreted by T cells and macrophage Type of white blood cell designed to "eat up" debris and pathogens. It also stimulates various cells to respond to pathogens. that act as both pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory in response to trauma, burns, and other tissue damage that leads to inflammation. (IL6). 

The new research shows that as obesity causes IL6 levels to rise to twice their normal level the risk for heart failure doubles.  This is a dramatic finding and proves what I first hypothesized in 2002 in Mastering Leptin – that IL6 from fat itself is damaging the heart and causing cardiovascular disease.

The problem gets worse because the liver also starts getting congested with excess fat as a person gains weight, causing another inflammatory marker named C-Reactive Protein ( CRP C-reactive protein. It is an acute phase protein that increases during systemic inflammation. It is a general way to assess cardiovascular disease risk. A more sensitive test for heart disease risk is hs-CRP, highly sensitive CRP. ) to elevate.  IL6 and CRP C-reactive protein. It is an acute phase protein that increases during systemic inflammation. It is a general way to assess cardiovascular disease risk. A more sensitive test for heart disease risk is hs-CRP, highly sensitive CRP. cause a double inflammatory whammy that stresses metabolism and cardiovascular health in multiple ways

The researchers concluded that compared to any other known risk factor for heart disease the “inflammatory chemicals in the blood of obese participants stood out as key predictors of who got heart failure.”

The best way to lower IL6 is to get leptin under control by following the Leptin Diet and by using nutrients that help you stay on the Leptin Diet and make progress.  CRP C-reactive protein. It is an acute phase protein that increases during systemic inflammation. It is a general way to assess cardiovascular disease risk. A more sensitive test for heart disease risk is hs-CRP, highly sensitive CRP. will also come down as consistent weight loss occurs.  Gaining weight, yo-yo dieting, or staying stuck at an elevated weight enable these inflammatory markers to weaken your heart over time.  At some point any person crosses the line and serious problems result.

People need to get much more serious and disciplined about their weight management program.  The handwriting is on the wall and time spent carrying around too many pounds of fat is not of any value.