Weight gain ups heart disease risk

The more weight a person gains, the greater the risk that individual will develop the narrowing of heart arteries and reduced blood flow to the heart that can lead to a heart attack, a new Danish study indicates.

The research team found that for every 8.8 pound increase in the weight portion of an individual's body-mass index (BMI), that person's risk for developing ischaemic heart disease rose by more than 50%.

The authors base their observation on combined data from three studies that tracked BMI and/or heart disease among approximately 81,000 Danish men and women.

Cause and effect

The authors concluded that their findings are evidence of a direct cause-and-effect between elevated BMI and raised heart disease risk.

Researchers also analysed specific gene variants thought to play a role in increased BMI or a predisposition for both higher BMI levels and heart disease. They concluded that gene variants also play a role in the development of both higher BMIs and increased risk of ischaemic heart disease.

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