Obesity Increases Risk for Premature Heart Attacks

Cardiovascular disease is by far the leading cause of death and despite all of the dicussions around the “obesity paradox“, I am convinced that for most people having overweight or obesity is not great for their cardiovascular health.

If you are not (yet) fully convinced, you may wish to check out a new study just published in JACC by Mohan Madala and colleagues on behalf of the CRUSADE investigators.

These investigators looked at the relationship between BMI and non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) in the 189,065 patients with acute coronary syndrome recruited between January 2001 and September 2006 to the CRUSADE (Can Rapid Risk Stratification of Unstable Angina Patients Suppress Adverse Outcomes with Early Implementation of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Guidelines) Registry.

Based on a total of 111,847 patients with NSTEMI, the average age of first infarct was around 75 years of age in the leanest subjects (BMI < 18.5) versus around 59 years in patients with a BMI >40.

After adjustment for baseline demographic data, cardiac risk factors, and medications, the age of first NSTEMI occurred 3.5, 6.8, 9.4, and 12.0 years earlier with ascending levels of adiposity (BMI 25-30, 30-35, 35-40, and >40, respectively; referent 18.6 to 25.0).

The authors conclude that excess adiposity is strongly related to the premature occurance of first NSTEMI, certainly not something anyone would want.

AMS
Edmonton, Alberta