Obesity is an excess of body fat. Obesity is defined as a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater, or about 30 pounds or move over ideal body weight. Extreme obesity is defined as a BMI of 40 or more. People who have too much fat, especially in the waist area, are at a higher risk for high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
An occluded artery is an artery in which blood flow has been impaired (occluded) by a blockage.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential fats that your body doesn't make but needs to function properly. Omega-3 fatty acids, particularly EPA and DHA, have been shown to benefit the heart. They can decrease the risk of arrhythmias (abnormal heartbeats), decrease triglyceride levels, slow the growth rate of atherosclerotic plaque and lower blood pressure. Good sources are seafood such as salmon, tuna, sardines, mackerel or shellfish, as well as walnuts, flaxseed, and canola and soybean oils.
Medical researchers have found that some oral contraceptives, such as birth control pills, increase blood pressure in some women. It’s more likely to occur if you’re overweight, have had high blood pressure during pregnancy, have a family history of high blood pressure or have mild kidney disease. The combination of birth control pills and cigarette smoking may be especially dangerous for some women. Before you begin taking oral contraceptives, talk to your healthcare provider about the risks.
An oral glucose tolerance test helps determine how well the body handles glucose. An oral glucose tolerance test measures the amount of glucose in a person's blood stream before and two hours after drinking a premeasured beverage (typically 75 grams of glucose). A comparison of glucose levels before and after allows for assessing how well the body processed the sugars.
A person with a body mass index between 25 and 29.9 is considered overweight. A BMI of 25 corresponds to about 10 percent over ideal body weight.