Cumulative excess weight exposure over time and cardiovascular risk: A prospective cohort study

Obesity at a given point in time is a known cardiovascular risk factor. However, the contribution of long-term excess weight exposure to cardiovascular risk has not been well established. We therefore conducted a study to evaluate the relationship between long-term excess weight exposure and incidence of cardiovascular events.

This secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study analyzed data from adult participants in Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with a BMI > 25 kg/m2 between 01/01/1990 and 12/31/1999. We investigated the relationship between cumulative exposure to body mass index (BMI) > 25 kg/m2 between 1990 and 1999 and time to the composite primary outcome of fatal and non-fatal myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke beginning in 2000.

The mean baseline BMI of 136,498 study participants was 27.2 kg/m2 and the mean annualized cumulative excess BMI exposure was 3.9 kg/m2. In multivariable analysis having annualized cumulative excess BMI in the 4th vs. 1st quartiles was associated with an increased cardiovascular risk for women aged < 35 (HR 1.60; 95% CI 1.05-2.44) and 35-50 years (HR 1.27; 95% CI 1.01-1.58); and for men aged 35-50 (HR 1.57; 95% CI 1.22-2.03) and 50-65 (HR 1.23; 95% CI 1.02-1.48). There was no increase in cardiovascular risk with greater excess BMI exposure for women older than 50 and for men older than 65. Baseline BMI (in 1990) was not associated with cardiovascular risk in models adjusted for cumulative excess BMI exposure.

Long-term excess weight exposure plays a greater role in cardiovascular risk than weight at a single point in time. This risk is strongest in younger individuals.