Obesity is associated with risk of stroke in men

By Robert Cervin, | Health | 0 Comments

Increasing body mass index is linked to an increased risk of stroke, according to a large ongoing study.
It’s already well known how overweight and obesity increase the risk of heart disease. But how excess weight relates to stroke had not been studied till now. In a report from the ongoing Physicians’ Health Study, which involves 21,414 male participants, researchers uncover a link between weight and stroke.

The team, from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, followed the men for up to 12.5 years and were able to show that those with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or more had twice the risk of stroke compared to those whose BMI was less than 23. A BMI over 30 is generally classed as obese. Each unit of BMI increase led to a six per cent increase in stroke risk.

Much of the increased risk in the men with high BMI arose from hypertension and diabetes, both of which are themselves associated with excess weight. But there was also an impact of overweight independent of these two factors. What is more, the increased risk applied to both types of stroke - ischemic stroke, which is caused by a clot in the brain, and hemorrhagic stroke, which is caused by bleeding into the brain. Prevention of obesity should, say the researchers, help reduce the risk of stroke in men, as well as lowering their heart disease risk.