Fat people handle heart failure better

New York: Fat people are likely to cope better with heart failure, says a new study.

Gregg Fonarow and colleagues at the University of California analysed the records of over 100,000 patients hospitalised because their heart condition was worsening, reported the online edition of New Scientist.

They found that the fatter the person, the less likely they were to die during a weeklong hospital stay.

The researchers reported their findings in the latest issue of the American Heart Journal

Obesity is a risk factor for heart disease but if your heart is already failing, being fat could save your life, the study said.

This is because fat people have more metabolic reserves to draw on when the heart isn't pumping blood fast enough to meet the body's needs, the researchers said.