DOC News February 1, 2005
Volume 2 Number 2 p. 22
© 2005 American Diabetes Association
Midlife Body Mass Index Predicts Stroke Risk
Increased body mass index (BMI) in midlife is associated with an increased
risk of stroke among men, according to a prospective population study over 28
years reported by researchers at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Goteborg,
Sweden.
Since prevention is the best way of reducing the impact of stroke,
identifying potential risk factors is very important. To date, however,
research has been inconclusive. Some studies have suggested that increased BMI
raises the risk of stroke, while others have not.
Katarina Jood, MD, and colleagues investigated the association between BMI
and total, ischemic, and hemorrhagic stroke among a random sampling of 7,402
men enrolled in the Multifactor Primary Prevention Study, which began in
1970.
During 28 years of follow-up, 873 of the men sustained a stroke—495
had a first ischemic stroke, 144 had a first hemorrhagic stroke, and in 234
cases the type of stroke was not specified.
Analysis of data revealed that increased BMI was associated with an
increased risk for total, ischemic, and unspecified stroke, but not for
hemorrhagic stroke. The additive effect of BMI on stroke risk holds up even
after considering factors such as diabetes, hypertension, and cholesterol
levels. Compared with men with BMI of 20 to 22.49, the most obese men, with
BMI over 30, had nearly twice the risk of total and ischemic stroke.
Jood K, Jern C, Wilhelmsen L, Rosengren A: Body mass index
in mid-life is associated with a first stroke in men: a prospective population
study over 28 years. Stroke 35:2764–2769, 2004.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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