Journalists: See bottom of this post for audio and video resources.
A recent study co-authored by Mayo Clinic physicians and presented at the 2012 ACC Annual Scientific Session & Expo might change the way we assess obesity in individuals with heart disease.
This study included 15,000 coronary artery disease patients from 3 different continents, and was designed to learn the affect that distribution of body fat has on overall mortality risk.
The study found that individuals who were “skinny” according to BMI, but had an abnormal distribution of fat (waist larger than hips), were 4-5 times more likely to die long-term than individuals who were a little bit overweight, but had a normal distribution of fat (waist smaller than hips).
The study marks the first time that physicians have been able separate patients according to their mortality risk based solely on body weight and distribution of fat.
“We believe these findings might change the way we assess obesity in the clinical practice when we see individuals with heart disease,” says Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez. “A single measurement, just weighing patients, is not enough to separate their risk of death by high, low, or very low.”
Journalists: The following soundbites from Dr. Lopez-Jimenez are available for download and use in your stories:
Determining Risk Factors: MOV MP3
Below is an edited youtube video of Dr. Lopez-Jimenez discussing the study that can be embedded with your stories.
It is good to hear this news. However, is there a direct correlation between the difference in waist size over hips, which can provide a loose guesstimate of the probability of early troupes? Is there a correlation between size and time of life, too?
We’re checking on an answer.