Does putting on weight ease raynauds? I've had raynauds most of my life - recently someone said I might not have such cold hands if I was

[foxglove]

heavier.

P.s not exactly "size 0" but on the thin side Don't want to be "fat", but if I thought it would help I would try to put on some weight

[AngelaO46]

makes no difference. When I was first diagnosed with RP I was a size 6-8 UK dress size. I've since gained weight and even been as big as a size 14 UK dress size at one time & there was no difference at all with my symptoms. Although during my pregnancy & a few years after I did go symptom free - I wouldn't advise that as a way to control your symptoms though!!

[Ruth462]

Recall an "aunt" saying that my cold hands were due to my (natural) oversized boobs which meant my bra straps were reducing the blood supply to my arms - was a "slim" teenager at the time. Although I think she was wrong I've always remembered her coments.

[Rach18]

I've wondered the same, I'm quite slim and have thought about trying to gain some weight to see if it would ease my Raynaud's but I've never come across any evidence to say that it would help. It would be difficult for me anyway because I seem to burn off everything I eat through stessing, perhaps a better approach for me would be to try and manage the stress rather than get heavier!

[Heleno]

I don't believe weight makes any difference, I swing between a size 14/16 and to be honest my raynauds has got worse since putting on a bit more weight in the last couple of years (but I don't think this is anything to do with the weight gain).

[Steph]

Hi, as a bit of a yoyo dieter I do generally feel warmer when I am heavier and feel the cold much more when lose weight although the heat usually doesn't filter down to my hands. However I also have scleroderma and my symptoms are dramatically reduced when I lose the weight. As these are are the more serious problems I am determined to keep off the weight this time.

[Emma2]

I think it is definitely worse when you are underweight. When I was in my early 20s I got very hooked on my training and losing weight and I got down to about 6 stone 8 pounds. I did not have Raynauds then but I remember being continually cold. As most women out there will know when you lose too much weight your body doesn't function properly. I had to put some weight back on to kickstart myself again and since then I have kept my weight up (when I'm not training I just eat!!). I am quite tempted to lose some just to see how my hands would react. I think carrying a little bit of weight may help with Raynauds but bearing in mind that the general advice is not to carry too much weight I suspect any benefit would be minimal.

[LynnCox]

Up until 18 months ago I was UK size 22 and have deliberately lost 4 stone and have gone down to UK size 12. My experience is that my Raynaud's symptoms during last Winter were worse than ever before but I cannot put it down soley to the weight loss - the Winter was long and cold, I had moved into a new office with heating problems and there was a fair amount of stress (personal and colleagues) as a result of moving and the process of settling in.