9781422288450

Frightening Facts

• Cardiovascular disease is responsible for one of every four deaths in the United States each year. • Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. • Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. • Cardiovascular disease causes more deaths than cancer, chronic lower respiratory diseases, and accidents combined.

Your heart has four chambers. The lower-left chamber is called the left ven- tricle, and it pumps oxygen-enriched blood out of the heart to the body through an artery called the aorta. In this way, the left ventricle acts like a circulation pump. As a person gains weight, her body gets bigger, creating more area through which the heart must circulate blood. To get blood through this extra body mass, the left ventricle must pump harder and harder. The ven- tricle enlarges from working so hard, much like any muscle would enlarge if overly exercised. The ventricle’s walls thicken, making it more difficult for

46 / Health Issues Caused by Obesity