9781422288450

are apparent once you expend just 500 Calories per week in exercise. That’s

equivalent to just two hours of moderately paced walking or under an hour

of moderately paced aerobics. So get off that couch and get moving!

One last thought: If 70 percent of all cardiovascular disease is related to

excess weight, and cardiovascular disease kills, then indirectly, obesity kills,

too. Don’t minimize its risks. The cost is too great.

The Silent Killer: High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease / 57

Text-Dependent Questions:

1. List three ways that excess weight contributes

to cardiovascular diseases.

2. How can someone lower her risk of developing

coronary artery disease?

3. Why is high blood pressure more common in people that

are overweight or obese?

4. How can some heart disease be reversed?

Research Project

A couple of the most common cardiovascular

diseases associated with obesity were covered in

this chapter. Go to the library and look up other

cardiovascular diseases. See what scientists and

doctors believe causes each one. Is obesity related to any

of them? Make a list of all of the cardiovascular diseases

connected with obesity, and the dangers associated with

each disease.