Cardiometabolic Disease Risk Linked to Higher BMI

Higher body Mass Index (BMI) was found to be independently associated with several cardiometabolic risk factors and diseases, according to a recent study.

In the study, the researchers used mendelian randomization to determine causal estimates between BMI and cardiometabolic disease outcomes and traits in a population-based cohort of 119,859 participants involved in the UK Biobank with complete phenotypic and genetic data. The mean age was 56.87 years, and 56,816 (47.4%) of the participants were men. Participants reported sociodemographic information, and measurements for blood pressure were taken clinically. The prevalence of hypertension, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes were determined at the assessment.
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Additionally, researchers constructed a polygenic risk score from 93 single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with BMI from previous genome-wide association studies. This risk score was used to derive causal estimates from the mendelian randomization approach.

The analysis showed a significant positive association between genetically instrumented higher BMI and the risk for hypertension, coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes, as well as systolic blood pressure (β = 1.65 mm Hg) and diastolic blood pressure (β= 1.37 mm Hg). Higher BMI was associated with odds ratios (ORs) of 1.64 for hypertension, 1.35 for coronary heart disease, and 2.53 for diabetes.

Furthermore, the associations were independent of age, sex, Townsend deprivation scores, alcohol intake, and smoking history.

“The results of this study add to the burgeoning evidence of an association between higher BMI and increased risk of cardiometabolic diseases,” the researchers concluded. “Body mass index represents an important modifiable factor for ameliorating the risk of cardiometabolic disease in the general population.”

—Melissa Weiss

Reference:

Lyall DM, Celis-Morales C, Ward J, et al. Association of body mass index with cardiometabolic disease in the UK Biobank: a mendelian randomization study [published online June 5, 2017]. JAMA Cardiol. doi:10.1001/jamacardio.2016.5804.