Obesity as a cardiovascular disease: Time to take your BMI seriously

Obesity now has an official designation as a disease. Learn how the new obesity guidelines may affect your heart health.

It's a well-accepted fact that excess body fat strains the heart, wreaks havoc on blood sugar, blood pressure, and cholesterol levels, and diminishes health and well-being on many other levels. Despite this knowledge, it has not always been clear how best to tackle the problem. However, two recent developments may help clarify the issue.

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