Your Heart and Your Weight: One of the Best Things You Can Do for It

World Heart Day falls on 29 September. The 2026 campaign, Don’t Miss a Beat, encourages people to recognise the signs of heart disease, protect their heart health and take action early.

Heart and circulatory diseases remain among the biggest causes of death in the UK. However, important risk factors such as smoking, high blood pressure, raised cholesterol, physical inactivity and excess weight can be changed or managed. Here is how weight and heart health are connected.

How does excess weight affect your heart?

Carrying excess weight places additional demands on your heart. It can raise blood pressure, affect cholesterol and blood sugar, and contribute to low-grade inflammation. Over time, these changes can damage blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

Where weight is carried matters too. Visceral fat, which is stored around the waist and internal organs, is particularly metabolically active and is associated with greater cardiovascular risk.

How weight loss can support heart health

The encouraging part is that losing weight can improve several cardiovascular risk factors at once. Blood pressure may come down, while cholesterol, blood sugar and inflammation may also improve.

You do not need to reach an “ideal” weight to benefit. For people living with overweight or obesity, losing around 5% to 10% of their starting weight can make a meaningful difference. The aim is steady progress that can be maintained.

What does the evidence show?

In the large SELECT trial, semaglutide reduced the relative risk of major cardiovascular events by 20%. This combined outcome included heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular causes.

The trial involved more than 17,000 adults with overweight or obesity who already had cardiovascular disease but did not have diabetes. The result therefore applies to a specific, higher-risk group. It does not mean every weight-management medicine offers the same heart benefit.

The findings suggest that some cardiovascular benefits may extend beyond weight loss alone. Whether a treatment is suitable remains an individual clinical decision.

Heart health involves more than weight

Weight is important, but it is not the only factor. Regular movement supports your heart, as does a balanced diet containing vegetables, fruit, wholegrains, fibre and oily fish, with less salt, saturated fat and highly processed food. Our guide to movement that matters for weight loss explains how everyday activity can contribute.

Not smoking, keeping alcohol low, getting enough sleep and managing stress matter too. No single habit carries the whole load, but together they add up and can support sustainable weight management.

Know your heart-health numbers

High blood pressure and high cholesterol do not usually cause obvious symptoms. Blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar checks can therefore provide a clearer picture of your cardiovascular risk. These are available through your GP, an NHS Health Check if you are eligible, or certain pharmacy services.

If heart disease runs in your family, that is another reason to know where you stand. A routine check can identify a problem early and give you time to act.

Diet plays its part too. The NHS recommends two portions of fish each week, including one of oily fish. Oily fish provides EPA and DHA, which contribute to normal heart function. If it rarely features in your diet, our Omega-3 supplement may help supplement your intake alongside a varied diet.