Weight ‘link’ to fatal heart attack

Obesity increases the risk of dying from heart disease, regardless of whether or not people have other traditional risk factors, a new study has suggested.

Researchers thought obesity contributed to the development of risk factors such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes, putting them at greater threat of heart disease.

But a study of more than 6,000 middle-aged men suggested that a substance produced by fatty tissue may cause inflammation in the body, which could play a significant role in heart disease deaths alongside other more recognised “direct” risk factors.

During the research, the risk of a heart attack was compared across categories of increasing body mass index, using two different approaches.

One took into account any differences in the age or smoking status of the men, while the second corrected for cardiovascular risk factors, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure and any medications the men were taking.

The results showed that the higher a man’s weight, the higher was his likelihood of having other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

There was no increased risk of a non-fatal heart attack with increasing BMI using either approach. But the risk of death was significantly higher in men who were obese – a BMI of 30 to 39.9 kg/m².

In the model simply correcting for age and smoking, this risk was 75 per cent higher.

Despite correcting for known cardiovascular risk factors, medication and deprivation in the second model, the risk was still 60 per cent higher.

The research was carried out at the British Heart Foundation Cardiovascular Research Centre at the University of Glasgow and published in the journal Heart.

Lead author Dr Jennifer Logue said: “The obesity generation is coming of age. We are going to see more and more complications from obesity, and coming at an earlier age.”