TUESDAY, Nov. 16, 2010 (HealthDay News) --The more weight a person gains, the greater the risk that individual will develop the narrowing of heart arteries and reduced blood flow to the heart that can lead to a heart attack, a new Danish study indicates.
The research team found that for every 8.8 pound increase in the weight portion of an individual's body-mass index (BMI), that person's risk for developing ischemic heart disease rose by more than 50 percent.
The authors base their observation on combined data from three studies that tracked BMI and/or heart disease among approximately 81,000 Danish men and women.
The authors concluded that their findings are evidence of a direct cause-and-effect between elevated BMI and raised heart disease risk.
Researchers also analyzed specific gene variants thought to play a role in increased BMI or a predisposition for both higher BMI levels and heart disease. They concluded that gene variants also play a role in the development of both higher BMIs and increased risk of ischemic heart disease.
Dr. Borge Nordestgaard, of the University of Copenhagen in Herlev, is slated to present his team's findings Tuesday at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago.
More information
For more on BMI and heart disease, visit the American Heart Association.
