Study Finds Direct Link Between Obesity, Heart Disease

Study Finds Direct Link Between Obesity, Heart Disease

A recent study found a connection between obesity and heart disease.

WEDNESDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- A large new study is the first to show a direct link between a high body-mass index and the risk of developing heart disease, British and Danish researchers say.

Body-mass index (BMI) is a measurement based on height and weight. People with a BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 are normal weight while those with a BMI of 30 or more are obese. Those in between are deemed overweight.

[Read: Many First-Graders Shun Overweight, Obese Kids.]

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from more than 75,000 people in Copenhagen and found that those with a high BMI had a 26 percent increased risk of developing heart disease. Further analysis using genetic and other data showed that a BMI increase of 4 points increases the risk of heart disease by no less than 52 percent.

"By doing epidemiological studies combined with genetic analysis, we have been able to show in a group of nearly 76,000 persons that a high BMI is enough in itself to damage the heart," Borge Nordestgaard, chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital, said in a university news release.

"Observational studies have also suggested a relationship between heart disease and obesity, but that is not enough to prove a direct correlation. Obese people can share characteristics or lifestyle traits that have an influence on both the heart and weight. Or there can be a reverse causality, that is, it is the diseased heart that causes obesity and not the other way round," said Nordestgaard, who is also a clinical professor in the health and medical sciences faculty at the university.

[Read: Troubled Homes May Fuel Obesity in Girls.]

The study was published May 1 in the journal PLoS Medicine.

Study co-author Dr. Nicholas Timpson, a lecturer in genetic epidemiology at the University of Bristol in England, noted in the news release: "In light of rising obesity levels, these findings are fundamental to improving public health. Our research shows that shifting to a lifestyle that promotes a lower BMI -- even if it does nothing else -- will reduce the odds of developing the disease."

More information

The U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases has more about the health risks of being overweight.

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