Obesity is a killer in its own right – regardless of whether it causes other problems such as high blood pressure or diabetes, researchers claimed today.
A new study suggests people who are obese face an increased risk of suffering a fatal heart attack even when there are no other risks, such as high blood pressure or cholesterol.
Obesity on its own increases the risk of death by as much as 75 per cent, according to the study by Dr Jennifer Logue, of Glasgow University, Scotland, published in the journal Heart.
The researchers studied more than 6,000 middle-aged men with high cholesterol for 15 years
Dr Logue says obesity causes inflammation, which can trigger a heart attack.
She warns: "The obesity generation is coming of age. We are going to see more and more complications from obesity, and coming at an earlier age."
Cathy Ross, of the British Heart Foundation, said: "This study now strengthens the argument that obesity – in its own right – increases the risk of dying from a heart attack, irrespective of other risk factors.
"Further studies are needed to confirm the same is true in women and people from different ethnic groups, in whom fatty tissue is present in different parts of the body."
She added: "However, it’s clear that more needs to be done to reduce the rapidly rising tide of obesity in our population to bring an end to the number of people dying unnecessarily and prematurely from heart disease."
Heart February 15 2011; doi 10.1136/hrt.2010.211201
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