BMI associated with increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases

A new association has been identified between higher Body Mass Index (BMI) and an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases such as hypertensio, coronary heart disease and type 2 diabetes.
Scientists from the University of Glasgow also found that higher BMI was linked to higher risk of elevated blood pressure, independent of age, sex, alcohol intake and smoking history.
The authors wrote: “Body mass index represents an important modifiable risk factor for ameliorating the risk of cardiometabolic disease in the general population.”
Donald M. Lyall, Ph.D and colleagues analysed data of 119,859 adults in the UK between 2006 and 2010 whom had an average age of 57 years. They examined if BMI was associated with cardiometabolic disease outcomes and traits, such as pulse rate, with participants self-reporting prevalence of type 2 diabetes and other health conditions.
BMI was shown to be associated with an increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases, but no associations were found between BMI and stroke or pulse rate.
The underlying causal associations between BMI and cardiometablic diseases remain unclear, but researchers believe their findings could be used to reduce rates of obesity and type 2 diabetes.
“The results of this study add to the burgeoning evidence of an association between higher BMI and increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases. This finding has relevance for public health policies in many countries with increasing obesity levels.”
One limitation of the study, published in JAMA Cardiology, was that it lacked data on a wider range of variables, such as blood glucose levels and lipid (fat) traits.
Earlier this year, a separate study observed a link between high BMI and changes in gene expressio, which might provide early prediction of risk for type 2 diabetes.