Study of nearly 3 million people finds ‘healthy’ obese people more likely to develop heart failure than those of normal weight—but are not at greater risk of heart attack or stroke

 

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/929491

 News Release 27-Sep-2021
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Diabetologia

 

Adults who are obese but appear healthy (without common metabolic abnormalities such as high blood pressure, abnormal blood fats, or diabetes) are not at greater risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death than healthy individuals of normal weight, but they are around 33% more likely to develop heart failure and the heart rhythm condition, atrial fibrillation, according to a nationwide study from France that followed nearly 3 million hospital patients (aged 18 and older) for at least 5 years.

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 Our findings also highlight the importance of preventing poor metabolic health, and suggest that even normal weight individuals may benefit from early behavioural and medical management to improve their diet and increase physical activity in order to guard against stroke.”

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Importantly, the analysis also showed that men face higher risks than women—compared to normal weight men with no metabolic abnormalities, men with metabolically healthy obesity had a 61% higher risk of cardiovascular events; while women with metabolically healthy obesity were 50% less likely to suffer heart attack than those of normal weight.

The authors acknowledge that their findings show observational associations rather than cause and effect. They note some limitations, including that the study included people taken from one country with a predominately white Caucasian population, so the findings cannot be generalised to all ethnic groups in other countries. They also note that they were unable to account for some potential confounders such as socioeconomic status, physical activity, diet, and metabolic control (eg, blood sugar levels, blood pressure, BMI), that may have influenced the results.