Cardiovascular disease and obesity often go hand in hand. But new research shows that people with genetic obesity are less likely to develop heart disease compared to those with obesity due to environmental factors. This information comes from a report from the Karolina Institute published in eClinical Medicine.
The Study
The study found that the risk of cardiovascular disease varies widely in people with obesity. Researchers looked at data from over 15,000 twins on the Swedish Twin Registry focusing on their BMI and their genetic disposition for a high BMI. They also considered their incidence of cardiovascular disease.
The data review allowed researchers to determine how obesity and heart disease were related under genetic vs. environmental factors.
“The link between obesity and cardiovascular disease was twice as strong in those with a genetic predisposition to a low BMI as it was in those with obesity driven by genetic factors,” said study author and assistant professor at the Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics Karolinska Institute, Ida Karlsson.
Dr. Karlsson emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle and pointed out that the risk of cardiovascular disease is always higher in overweight and obese people as compared to people with a healthy weight. However, the study indicates that people with genetic obesity may have better health than those who are obese due to environmental factors.
What the Study Means
“Obesity is a complex common disease that can have many different causes. Since it’s so stigmatized, the results can help us understand that its effects on health differ from one individual to the next.
“Even though we all know that it takes more than exercise and diet to combat obesity, there’s still a large stigma attached to it. I think much could be gained by focusing on what has caused the obesity and what we can do to reduce the risk of comorbidities in each individual instead of mainly focusing on BMI,” said Karlsson.
Karlsson will be continuing her studies by examining individual causes of obesity in terms of their genetic and lifestyle factors and how it affects their cholesterol, glucose levels, and inflammation markers.
There has been an alarming increase in obese and overweight people over the past few years. Almost one-third of the world’s population is above a healthy weight.
“The figure is alarming since it is well-established that a high BMI in middle- age increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease and other conditions.”