One is 38 years old and does not smoke but is 40 pounds overweight. The other is 44 years old, is skinny and smokes a pack a day. Based on their being related, with genetics and everything else being equal, who is more likely to suffer a heart attack first? Neither one of them exercise regularly.
2007-01-27 04:30:02 · 13 answers · asked by tucsondude 4 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Heart Diseases
I am the brother who is overweight and doesn't smoke, and I never said it was a competition, I'm just curious to see which presents the riskier behavior.
2007-01-27 06:36:16 · update #1
Impossible to predict with accuracy. We don't have enough information.
While smoking is a major risk factor for a heart attack, there are several other risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, and a family history of premature heart attack. These have interplay, and without knowing the rest of each brothers' history, one cannot tell who will have a heart attack first and die.
While smoking is bad, you are at risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, and high cholesterol, just by being overweight.
(In fact, if you have never heard of "metabolic syndrome", you might want to search it on the net. Some doctors believe that a waist greater than 40", high blood pressure, and diabetes or prediabetes, in conjunction with high lipids, magnifies or multiplies one's risk of heart attack more than any one of those factors alone.)
And, let me assure you, diabetes is so bad, it is considered equivalent to actually having coronary artery disease, and physicians are instructed to treat a diabetic as though he's already had a heart attack. Excess weight is a major risk factor for diabetes.
Thus, you are not protected from this fate of heart disease by not smoking. You need to control the weight to prevent high BP, high cholesterol, and---God forbid---diabetes. Good luck.
2007-01-27 11:50:12 · answer #1 · answered by Amy P 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I was 45 and am female. I was overweight by 50 lbs ate kinda okay and did exercise 30 min a day. My twin smoked a pack a day and is 100 lbs over weight. My brother ,37 over weight by 100 lbs and drinks and no smoking. I am the one who had the heart attack. STRESS will do it and its heritary. When I asked my doctor he told me the diffrence is if they have a heart attack, they might not recover. I take care of my self now even better than before and do meditation and prayer to keep calm and as healthy as I can. Take care of your self and get checked out. Hopefully you won't be the 1st as I was. Its been 3 years and I feel good and take one day at a time.
2007-01-27 13:02:12 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would go with the brother who is 40 pounds overweight. Niether exercises regularly so the overweight brother will continue to gain weight overtime. The brother who smokes will have trouble with his lungs, not necessarily his heart. Cholestoral, blood glucose and Body Mass Index (BMI) are factors for both as well.
2007-01-27 05:08:07 · answer #3 · answered by styymy_2000 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What you didn't say but alluded to was the genetics in your family. Did these two brothers have a father, grandfather, uncles who died of heart disease in their 40s? THis is quite important in the equation.
THe overweight man who is not a smoker, is at risk ,but not as much as the smoker. Stress is also a major factor, as is present hypertension which gives indications as to their medical future. I don't have a crystal ball to say which will die first, as they both have risk factors. You don't mention what their triclyceride levels are or their cholesterol levels which are of prime importance. They need good checkups!
2007-01-27 04:41:44 · answer #4 · answered by bflogal77 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If all else is equal? Ok the overwieght is at stake for High blood pressure and Diabetes which increase the likelyhood of an MI, But Smoking is the more serious of the two. Smoking will cause more issues and increase the risk of haiving an MI.
2007-01-27 04:35:39 · answer #5 · answered by juno406 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The smoker. Every cigarette you smoke is a ticket to the hospital. It's not a question of if, but when. Those who smoked their entire lives were lucky. How lucky do you think you are?
2007-01-27 04:43:36 · answer #6 · answered by janejane 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
both at the same time cause 1 is overweight and the other smokes a lot
2007-01-27 04:38:49 · answer #7 · answered by xobeccaxo 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
The smoker. Just from the information provided...this is my reasonable opinion.
2007-01-27 04:35:08 · answer #8 · answered by sarah t 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The smoker.
2007-01-28 14:42:35 · answer #9 · answered by cerlandsen11 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
the smoker without a doubt
2007-01-27 04:36:43 · answer #10 · answered by unreal 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋