Home > Anatomy & Physiology > Circulatory System

When you gain weight, does your heart grow in size? If you work out, does the heart muscle shrink or get bigger?

Answer 1

No, the heart does not grow in size upon weight gain and if one works out regularly and intensely, one may get athletes' cardiomegaly.

Weight gain is not caused by the heart expanding; rather, it results from the heart having to work harder to pump blood. Exercise causes the heart muscles to contract more frequently, which can cause the heart to enlarge depending on how often and intensely you work out. Many triathletes and marathon runners have been diagnosed with cardiomegaly (heart enlargement).

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer 2

Autumn Anderson

Weight gain is a result of an increased workload on the heart; on the other hand, exercise causes the heart muscle to grow (hypertrophy) in order to adapt to increased demand rather than contract.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Answer from HIX Tutor

When evaluating a one-sided limit, you need to be careful when a quantity is approaching zero since its sign is different depending on which way it is approaching zero from. Let us look at some examples.