Lately, it's been very, very hot in my neck of the woods. Over the past few days, just walking outside has been enough to cause me to start sweating profusely. I'm also a bit heavier than I ought to be, which makes me more susceptible to heat related illnesses like heat exhaustion or heat stroke. According to a recent article on Yahoo.com, doctors agree that the heavier you are, the more likely you are to suffer when it's hot outside.

The body circulates blood to dissipate heat through the skin as a means of staying cool. In order to move blood through the body, the heart must pump harder. A heavy person's heart has to pump harder in order to get the job done. Obese people also tend to sweat more, which causes them to lose body fluids and minerals and leads to dehydration. Add in the fact that fat is a natural insulator and it's not too hard to see why heavy people tend to suffer more in the heat even if they don't already have obesity related conditions like diabetes or heart disease.

The risk of heat related illnesses appears to escalate with the degree that a person is overweight, although researchers don't yet know at what point the risk becomes great, According to a report from the CDC, from 1999 to 2003, heat related illnesses contributed to roughly 1200 deaths in the United States. While obesity was not examined in the report, researchers did find that cardiovascular disease was a contributing factor in about 57 percent of the cases, whereas diabetes was a factor in 3 percent of the cases.

If it's hot where you are, be sure to drink plenty of water and rest adequately, especially if you're overweight. Taking care of yourself during a heat wave may spare you the hassle and the expense of a trip to the E.R.

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