Obese Moms at Higher Risk of Heart Attack after Childbirth

A latest Danish study claims that obese mothers are at a higher risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke after childbirth.

The new study indicates that obesity might trigger heart problems in young women.

"Young women need to be aware that there are serious health risks associated with obesity and poor lifestyle habits, and these [negative effects] appear to set in early," study researcher Michelle Schmiegelow, a Ph.D. student at the University of Copenhagen, said in a news statement.

The study worked on the data of more than 273,100 Danish women who gave birth between 2004 and 2009. The average age of the women was 30 years and they never had a history of heart attacks, kidney problems or stroke. Based on the BMI, the women were divided into different groups, reports LiveScience.

The researchers noticed that among the total participants of 273,100 Danish women, nearly 68 women suffered a heart attack and nearly 175 experienced an ischemic stroke.

The results suggested that the obese women were twice as likely as the normal women to suffer from heart attack or stroke.

The occurrence of heart attacks or stroke is a rare phenomenon in young women. This study has found an association, but it is not proved that obesity triggered heart and strokes in these women. The level of physical activity the women engaged in was not considered, reports LiveScience.

The study was limited to women who gave birth, and the researchers predict that this association can be applicable for other young healthy women. However, further research is needed in order to confirm this.

The study will be presented this week in the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting held in San Francisco.