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the heart to contract properly. This condition is known as left ventricular
hypertrophy
, and it is potentially fatal. Another fatal condition, heart fail-
ure, in which the heart can no longer pump enough blood to meet body
demands, can also result.
Structural changes in the heart, though well understood, are not the only
ways that excess weight contributes to cardiovascular diseases. There are
numerous theories regarding the other, less-understood ways in which
excess weight affects the cardiovascular system. For example, people who
carry their excess weight around their stomachs are at a higher risk of
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