The risk of heart disease skyrockets when BMI increases. That is the finding of a study done by Nicholas J. Timpson, PhD of the University of Bristol in England and colleagues, and the researchers say they proved a true causal link.
Writing in the May issue of PLoS Medicine, the team reported that "the mechanism may ultimately be through intermediate factors like hypertension, dyslipidemia, and type 2 diabetes. . . . [T]his work has important policy implications for public health given the continuous nature of the BMI-ischemic heart disease association, the modifiable nature of BMI, and the likely benefits of reducing BMI even by moderate levels."
This is the first research on the issue that is not merely observational. As MedPage Today put it, they used a Mendelian approach, which is akin to a randomized trial but "where randomization to risk-factor-related genotypes takes place at conception."
