



































Special Edition: Junior Clinical Research (2022), Vol. 2 No. S2 
 https://doi.org/10.47488/dhrp.v2iS2.65 

 

 

 
 
 DHR Proceedings ǀ http://dhrproceedings.org  42 2022, Vol. 2 No. S2 42-48 
   

 

COMMENTARY 

The Relationship Between Obesity and 

Cardiovascular Disease 

 
Diana Herrera1,2, Kiza Dunzz1,2, Jocelyn Salas1,2, Yazmin Cantu-Villarreal1,2, Alondra Rodriguez1,2, 

Jacqueline Chapa1,3, Emely Martinez1,3, Mia Valdez1,3 

 
¹2nd Annual Junior Clinical Research Internship, South Texas Academy for Education & Training in Research, DHR Health 

Institute for Research and Development 

²Johnny Economedes High School 

³Hidalgo Early College High School 

 

All correspondence should be addressed to Program Director, 2nd Annual Junior Clinical Research Internship Program, DHR 

Health Institute for Research & Development, 5323 S McColl Road, Edinburg Texas, 78539 

 

Received 07/21/2022 

Accepted for publication 08/03/2022 

Published 08/03/2022 

 

 
 
Introduction 

 
 Do you feel overweight? Are you often 

finding it hard to lose weight with dieting, workouts, 

and medications? Feeling overly tired or short of 

breath? Well, you may find that you and the majority 

of people within the United States suffer from the 

same problems. Studies show that over 41.9% of 340 

million Americans suffer from obesity (1). By 

definition, obesity is defined as abnormal or excessive 

fat accumulation that presents a risk to health (2). A 

common health risk seen within many obesity cases is 

cardiovascular disease. The most commonly known 

form of cardiovascular disease is the coronary artery 

disease (CAD). Cardiovascular disease affects the 

flow of blood circulation to the heart causing an 

overall decrease in blood flow, leaving people at high 

risks for heart attacks (3). Over 39.6 percent of the 

United States adult population suffers from obesity. 

However, 7.7 percent of this population is affected by 

severe forms of obesity that have led to extensive heart 

problems, such as cardiovascular diseases (4). Out of 

the 41.9% of the American population that suffers 

from obesity, Hispanics have a steady rate of 15.8 

percent deaths due to cardiovascular disease diagnosis 

between male and female patients as of 2020 (5).   

Obesity Prevalence 

 
There is a higher risk for Hispanics to suffer 

from obesity. Every 1 in 2 Hispanic people are obese 

and 1 in 13 suffer from severe obesity. Since March of 

2020, obesity has risen more than 11.4%, as the 

increasing severity rises 5%. We are the second largest 

group in the world that struggles with obesity. About 

45.8%, approximately 28 million, of Hispanics in the 

US struggle with obesity (6). Puerto Ricans and 

Mexican American have the highest prevalence with 

36.6% and 34.4% respectively, followed by Mexicans 

25.5% and Cubans with 25.8%. The lowest prevalence 

group was Dominicans with 21.5% (7). 

 
Obesity Causes 

 
  Obesity occurs when a person’s weight is 

greater in comparison to their height. Obesity can be 

found and diagnosed in both children and adults. It can 

be caused by food consumption or addiction to food. 

One challenge in the Hispanic community is the 

absence of healthy food options. 29% of Hispanics 

lack exposure to healthy food and struggle to consume 



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it (8). Other causes of obesity can be the following: 

excess weight gain due to medication or illness, 

insufficient sleep that causes metabolic changes, and 

obesity.  An example of excess weight gain could be 

Cushing’s Disease, because of this disease it is more 

likely for someone to gain weight. Results of studies 

have shown that insufficient sleep can have a negative 

effect on metabolic rates. Although it is rare, future 

generations can inherit the obesity gene (9). A person 

diagnosed with a disabling health condition while 

having obesity can face serious challenges, such as 

weight loss/gain and changes in hunger, limiting the 

capability of a person to exercise, discomfort/pain, 

shortage of energy, and the inability to have assets 

such as money, transport, and support from people 

(10).  

 
Obesity Symptoms 

 
 There are seven main symptoms that 

determine the diagnosis of obesity, although 

symptoms may vary by each individual. The most 

obvious symptom is being above their average body 

weight. According to Centers for Disease Control and 

Prevention, adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 

30 to 39.9 are considered obese. If their BMI is higher 

than that, then they are considered extremely obese 

(11). Another symptom for obesity is sleep apnea, a 

condition in which a person experiences an irregularity 

within their breathing patterns while asleep, causing 

someone’s breathing to stop inconsistently throughout 

the night. This condition causes many obese people to 

have trouble fully sleeping through the night, since 

they wake up often from breathing discomfort to catch 

their breath (12). Obesity can also cause skin 

problems, such as dry and scratchy skin or acne.  

According to myamericanurse.com, obese people have 

a lot of fat stored, increasing the transdermal water 

loss, causing their skin to get dry and scratchy.  Acne, 

on the other hand, is the result of blocked sebaceous 

channels that lead to oily skin (13). Another symptom 

is gallstones. People with obesity are more likely to 

have gallstones because they have a higher level of 

cholesterol in their bile. Gallstones are severely 

painful, and if left untreated, can lead to life 

threatening issues (14). Furthermore, obesity can 

cause osteoarthritis in the joints, especially the knees. 

The more a person weighs, the more stress that is 

added to the joints which causes them to experience 

pain. Osteoarthritis quickly spreads depending on how 

much stress is added on the joints, worsening if no 

treatment is prescribed (15). The 6th symptom for 

obesity is varicose veins. The Bass Vein Center 

website explains that the pressure from the extra body 

fat squeezes the walls of the veins, damaging delicate 

valves that keep your blood flowing from your 

extremities to your heart. This would explain how 

being overweight can damage your veins and lead to 

serious complications for your physical health (16). 

Lastly is asthma, a common respiratory symptom and 

condition found within many obese people as a result 

of excess weight found around their chest. According 

to everydayhealthcenter.com, fat tissues also produce 

inflammatory substances that could impair lung 

function and lead to asthma (17). 

 
Cardiovascular Prevalence 

 
 Cardiovascular disease and obesity play a 

problematic role within the Hispanic community and 

the world in general. Over 39.6 percent out of 330 

million of the United States adult population are 

considered obese. However, 7.7 percent of this 

population is affected by severe forms of obesity that 

lead to extensive heart problems such as 

cardiovascular diseases (4,18). Hispanics within 

Central America have a higher prevalence of 

cardiovascular disease, Central American men at 

54.9% and Puerto Rican women at 41.0%. Large 

proportions of people within Central America (80% of 

men, 71% of women) had at least 1 health risk factor 

of developing cardiovascular disease. At least 18.5 

percent of Hispanics who have lived in the United 

States 10 years or longer have reported that congenital 

heart disease and strokes were less prevalent within 

(4.2% and 2.0% in men; 2.4% and 1.2% in women, 

respectively) (19). This shows that even though risks 

are not as prevalent within the Hispanic community in 

the United States compared to the Hispanics of the 

Central American communities. Obesity is highly 

prevalent among Hispanics. Some studies show that 

more than 70% of males and females in some Hispanic 

groups are overweight and 40% are obese. The 

prevalence of cardiovascular disease among Hispanics 

was 70% if they had risk factors including obesity. 

Obesity is higher in Hispanic women. One study 

conducted in Hispanics, showed that the rate of heart 

attacks is much higher than in non-Hispanics, and 

particularly higher in Hispanic women (20). 

 
Cardiovascular Causes 

 
Cardiovascular disease is a leading cause of 

mortality and morbidity in the Hispanic population 

(21). There are many causes of cardiovascular disease, 

such as occupational exposures, smoking, diet, and 

lifestyle (22). The first cause is occupational 

exposures. Hispanic workers, such as factory and field 



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workers, report more exposure to organic solvents, 

metals, and pesticides. It is well known that working 

with metals and pesticides are risk factors for 

cardiovascular disease.  The second cause is smoking. 

Smoking increases inflammation, thrombosis, and 

oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. 

Clinical data support the hypothesis that cigarette 

smoke exposure increases oxidative stress as a 

potential mechanism for initiating cardiovascular 

disease. The third cause is diet. Low intake of healthy 

nutrients promotes cardiovascular disease. Consuming 

more than the recommended saturated fat, sodium, 

refined carbohydrates, and red meats can also be a risk 

of cardiovascular disease. Improvements in diets were 

largely attributable to increased consumption of whole 

grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, as well as decreased 

consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. The final 

cause is lifestyle. Sedentary behaviors are a main risk 

factor for cardiovascular disease. Sedentary behaviors 

are behaviors where the person is not active or not 

being productive. Therefore, reducing sedentary time 

should be targeted in the population while also 

increasing their physical activity levels. The solutions 

to lower cardiovascular disease are to stop smoking, 

maintain a proper diet, improve occupational 

exposures, and enact a better lifestyle. They will also 

require providing better health care access to the 

Hispanic population (22). 

 

Cardiovascular Symptoms 

 
The symptoms of cardiovascular disease are 

often associated with an irregularity of the heart. Heart 

attacks, heart failures, or arrhythmias are all 

classifications of the symptoms an adult may 

experience (23). Typically, arrhythmias are known for 

causing the heart to beat at different paces, which can 

lead to improper blood pumping of the heart (24). 

Similarly, heart failure inefficiently pumps blood to 

organs, whereas, in heart attacks, the heart fails to 

receive oxygen due to blood flow not reaching certain 

areas of the heart (25). Tiredness, swelling of the 

limbs, chest pain, palpitations or a fluttery heart, 

indigestion, heartburn, and pain in the upper and lower 

half of your shoulders may be early signs of 

cardiovascular disease (23). Because cardiovascular 

disease is not limited to only one experience, these 

symptoms may or may not relate to a person’s 

situation. Depending on the specific area that was 

affected, such as the blood vessels or the heart valves, 

symptoms may vary from person to person. 

Additionally, one may be more vulnerable to 

cardiovascular disease symptoms based on other 

conditions, such as an infection, a diseased heart, an 

arrhythmia, or a non-serious congenital heart defect 

(26). Foremost, it is important to determine how 

cardiovascular disease is present in your life as a 

means of understanding the specific symptoms one 

may be prone to. For instance, in the Hispanic 

population, women and men are 10% more likely to 

get cardiovascular disease without risk factors and are 

70% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease 

with a previous underlying condition such as diabetes 

(27). However, Hispanic men are more disposed to 

cardiovascular disease compared to Hispanic women 

(27). The reason could be that most men are not well 

adjusted to deal with stressful events which can lead to 

cardiovascular disease (28). Around 30% of both 

Hispanic genders have hypertension primarily because 

of their diet. Eating flour tortillas, for example, is a 

common flatbread in the Hispanic population known 

for raising people’s blood pressure. Since tortillas are 

usually present in most Hispanic meals, it can become 

a significant issue over time. When someone has high 

blood pressure, blood flow is limited, decreasing the 

oxygen that reaches the heart and leading to 

cardiovascular disease (29). Unfortunately, most 

Hispanic populations are known for neglecting their 

personal healthcare, so there is a greater possibility 

they will be diagnosed with cardiovascular disease 

throughout their life. 

 
Cardiovascular Treatment 

 
For those that are diagnosed with 

cardiovascular disease and fear their wellbeing, there 

is no reason to fret. There are many different lifestyle 

treatments as well as medications that could help in the 

prevention and overall treatment of heart disease. To 

start off, there are two alternative forms of treatment 

that can be used for cardiovascular disease. The first 

option of treatments is to switch to a healthier lifestyle 

to lower cholesterol levels as well as blood pressure 

that can even lead to obesity. The best way to change 

up your life is by making decisions to aim for a 

healthier weight by losing about 3% to 5%, keeping up 

with physical activities that will regulate those factors, 

start with a healthy diet with fruits; vegetables and low 

saturated fats, sodium, sugars and alcohol, and 

maintain stress so that it can help maintain physical 

and mental health (30). Another route that could 

potentially be taken as an alternative route to treat your 

heart disease if making lifestyle changes may appear 

too hard is medication. Medications such as ACE 

inhibitors and beta blockers can help lower blood 

pressure as well as decrease how hard the heart may 

be working (30). In addition to this, other medications 

such metformin or nitrates can help regulate build up 

in the arteries, as well as a preventative for diabetes 



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along the way (30). All in all, there are two solutions 

that may be taken in order to take a step further in 

preventing cardiovascular disease from happening, 

especially if you are more prone to get it, or have 

already suffered from it. For the most part, making 

basic changes to the way you live may be considered 

the best option, while taking medications can also be a 

key factor for those that may have trouble. However, 

there are situations where sometimes treatment may 

not work, and therefore lead to other health problems. 

Tying back to the relationship between obesity and 

cardiovascular disease, it is seen that being obese may 

eventually lead you to developing heart disease, due to 

the fact that it can change cholesterol levels or even 

causing blood pressure to rise (31). For the majority of 

the Hispanic community, cases of obesity and heart 

disease are extremely prevalent. Due to the fact that 

such a high percentage of our population is prone to 

both obesity and cardiovascular disease, it is 

something we may need to be on the lookout for. One 

of the greatest problems that leads to this frequency in 

these numbers is lack of healthcare that is available for 

the Hispanic population. As well as that, it is seen that 

Hispanics are less likely to seek out care for their 

mental health which could lead to stress and therefore 

stress eating, gaining weight, or an increase in blood 

pressure (32). 

 

Obesity Treatment 

 
There are many ways to treat and prevent 

obesity. There is nonpharmacological treatment, 

treatment without the use of medication, and 

pharmacotherapy, treatment with the use of 

medication. Nonpharmacological treatment includes 

physical activity, diets, and behavior therapy (33,34). 

When losing weight begins, it is recommended to start 

physical activity. Exercise keeps the body active and 

increases energy expenditure causing negative caloric 

balance. Negative caloric balance occurs when more 

calories are being burned than taken in (33). Walking 

for 30 to 40 minutes for at least three days out of the 

week is a good way to start. The patient can gradually 

increase their exercise regimen with 20 minutes of 

jogging. As the patient increases their endurance and 

begins to feel comfortable, they can increase their 

exercise to include running, swimming, and even 

cardio. As they increase the number of exercises, they 

can also increase the number of days and time they 

work out. Diets are also able to aid in the treatment of 

obesity. Low calorie diets and prepackaged foods will 

help with the calorie intake, as the meal is already 

made and avoids sugars and calories one may overlook 

while making their own meal (33,35). Calorie-

restricting diets are not only good for losing weight, 

but also play a role in cardiovascular health (35). 

Behavior modification treatment targets the patient’s 

habits explicitly. By using behavior modification 

treatment, the habits that caused the weight gain are 

analyzed. The goal of behavior modification is to 

change the patient’s eating habits and encourage a 

healthier lifestyle. Pharmacotherapy is recommended 

and used on patients who are unable to lose enough 

weight with the treatments used in the non-

pharmacological approach. There are other 

requirements that must be met to be able to use these 

drugs, like high BMI and an obesity-related condition 

(33). There are both long-term and short-term drugs 

that are used to treat obesity. Some of the short-term 

drugs that stimulate norepinephrine release are 

benzphetamine hydrochloride, phendimetrazine 

tartrate, phentermine hydrochloride or tartrate, and 

diethylpropion. Another short-term drug would be 

Mazindol; this drug targets NE reuptake. Long-term 

medications include sibutramine, which blocks 

norepinephrine and serotonin reuptake, and Orlistat, 

which blocks gastric and pancreatic lipases (34). 

These long-term medications can also help to maintain 

weight loss. The FDA approved all the mentioned 

medications.  

 
Conclusion 

 
Evidently, over 39.6 percent of 330 million 

adults within the United States suffer from obesity and 

over 7.7 percent of this population suffer from severe 

forms of obesity that cause many underlying 

conditions such as cardiovascular disease (4,18). 70% 

of these obese Hispanic groups are more prevalent to 

developing cardiovascular disease as one of the major 

underlying conditions of obesity (20). Although 

obesity and cardiovascular disease are great concerns 

for our health, there are many ways to detect, treat, and 

control them, such as health and dietary plans, therapy 

both psychologically and physically therapeutic 

treatments, and for those that may want to take 

different routes there are pharmaceutically mediated 

drug treatments offered as well. Luckily, we have 

great doctors, who specialize in these types of 

treatment such as cardiologists and bariatricians, that 

are able to medically support Hispanics by promoting 

healthy lifestyle tips as well as using their scope of 

practice to treat patients; by doing so, there is hopes to 

lower the mortality rate that these conditions bring 

forth to the community. Therefore, being informed 

about the risk factors of obesity and cardiovascular 

disease in the Hispanic community is crucial. It is 

never too late to ask for help, and even more so to 



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educate oneself on these topics that could potentially 

save a life ahead of time. 

 
Acknowledgments 

 

Dr. Monica Betancourt-Garcia, MD, Scientific 

Director; Melissa Eddie, MS, Program Manager; 

Xochitl Lopez, BS, Program Coordinator 

 

Funding 

 

Funded by DHR Health Institute for Research & 

Development; DHR Health; Region One ESC 

GEARUP College Ready, Career Set! Region One 

ESC GEARUP College Now, Career Connected and 

Region One ESC PATHS 

 
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