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Updated: Apr 23, 2026
05:16
Cutoff Value of Phase Angle by Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis at Admission as a Prognostic Factor in Patients with Acute Heart Failure
Published on: June 10, 2025
777
Body Mass Index, Clinical Outcomes, and Mortality in Heart Failure: A Mendelian Randomization Study.
Nicholas Sunderland1, Geraldine Asselin2, Albert Henry3
1MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom; NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre, University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust and University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
|April 22, 2026
Summary
Higher body mass index (BMI) is linked to increased mortality and hospitalizations in heart failure (HF) patients. These findings suggest weight management may benefit all HF patients, regardless of ejection fraction.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Genetics
- Obesity Research
Background:
- Excess adiposity, measured by body mass index (BMI), is a known risk factor for heart failure (HF).
- While weight loss improves outcomes in HF with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), its impact on HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between higher BMI and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with HF.
- To determine if left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) modifies the relationship between BMI and HF outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Utilized two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) with genome-wide association study (GWAS) data from 50,636 European ancestry individuals across 22 cohorts.
- Employed genetically predicted BMI as instrumental variables to assess unbiased associations with all-cause mortality and a composite of cardiovascular death or HF hospitalization.
Main Results:
- Genetically predicted higher BMI was significantly associated with increased all-cause mortality (HR 1.21 per SD) and the composite outcome (HR 1.29 per SD).
- These associations remained consistent across subgroups with LVEF ≤40% and >40%, indicating no significant effect modification by LVEF.
Conclusions:
- Elevated BMI is associated with poorer clinical outcomes, including mortality and cardiovascular events, in patients with heart failure.
- Findings support the consideration of weight management interventions for patients with HF across the full spectrum of LVEF.
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