Could Normal-Weight Central Obesity Increase Mortality Risk?
Patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and normal-weight central obesity have a higher mortality risk than the general population, according to a recent study.
Normal-weight central obesity is classified as having a normal BMI—between 18.5 and 24.9 kg/m2—but a waist circumference (WC) more than 40 inches for men and more than 35 inches for women and/or a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of more than 0.9.
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Previous research suggested that having a high WHR in the general population doubled their risk of mortality than having a low WHR. Therefore, researchers wanted to explore how that measurement, and other body mass measurements, impact mortality risk in elderly patients with CAD.
To conduct their study, researchers analyzed data from 5 cohort studies that included WC and WHR measurements for 7057 patients with CAD aged 65 years and older from 1980 to 2008.
Overall, 34% of patients had normal-weight central obesity. Those with a normal BMI and high WHR had the highest mortality risk. Those with obese BMI and low WHR had the lowest mortality risk. WC didn’t play a significant role in predicting mortality.
“In older adults with CAD, normal-weight central obesity defined using either WHR or WC is associated with high mortality risk, highlighting a need to combine measures in adiposity-related risk assessment,” researchers concluded.
—Amanda Balbi
Reference:
Sharma S, Batsis JA, Coutinho T, et al. Normal-weight central obesity and mortality risk in older adults with coronary artery disease. Mayo Clin Proc. Published online February 6, 2016. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.mayocp.2015.12.007.