On one hand, drinking even diet soft drinks causes higher risk of heart disease?:

A new US study has found that drinking more than one soft drink a day, whether regular or diet, may be linked to an increased risk of developing heart disease, via an increase in metabolic syndrome, a group of characteristics like excess girth, high blood pressure, and other factors that increase the chances of getting diabetes and cardiovascular problems.

But on the other hand, even though overweight people are at higher risk of heart attacks, patients with heart failure have lower mortality rates if they are obese:

[T]he “obesity paradox” among patients with heart failure. The paradox refers to the repeated finding that while overweight people are more prone to heart failure, patients with heart failure have lower mortality rates if they are obese. The reason for this paradox is far from clear, though Dr. Lavie suggested that one explanation could be that once people become ill, having more bodily “reserve” could be to their advantage.

My sense is that the obesity paradox is more the result of overweight people having more muscle mass. It’s not the excess fat that helps them recover from heart failure. It’s the muscle mass and strength.

As Art DeVany has been saying for years: “Muscle is medicine. Strength carries us effortlessly through life.” As we age, our workout routines should be tailored toward maintaining or increasing strength.