Research
Mixed
Being underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg/m²) is associated with an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, particularly in adults over 60 years.
If you are over 60, do not aim for extreme thinness. Being underweight increases your risk of atrial fibrillation, likely due to loss of muscle mass and malnutrition. Focus on maintaining a healthy, robust weight.
StrongQualifiesHIGH confidence
Underweight adults over 60 years also presented an increased AF risk... The HRs of the underweight for the risk of incident AF were generally higher than normal BMI across the different age groups, but were only statistically significant in those over 60 years old.
Why this rating
Large-scale population-based cohort.
Source
Associations between obesity parameters and the risk of incident atrial fibrillation and ischaemic stroke in the different age groups
Hyo‐Jeong Ahn et al. · Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine · 2022
DOI 10.3389/fcvm.2022.906844
cohort · n=9432332Cited 12×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m²) is associated with the highest risk of incident atrial fibrillation and ischemic stroke in young adults (20-39 years), with risk attenuating significantly in those over 60.Strong
- Waist circumference (WC) is a more consistent predictor of atrial fibrillation and stroke risk across all age groups than BMI, which shows a J-shaped or attenuated relationship in the elderly.Strong
Related findings · Mixed
- Bariatric surgery (VSG and RYGB) is the most effective and sustainable treatment for obesity, producing marked and sustained weight loss that non-surgical interventions cannot match.Strong
- Severely protein-deficient diets (2–3% energy) induce lean body mass loss and metabolic imbalance, whereas adequate protein intake (0.66 g/kg/d minimum) is a prerequisite for maintaining muscle, bone, and physiological function.Strong
- For patients with Class III obesity (BMI >39.9 kg/m2), metabolic bariatric surgery (MBS) is significantly more effective than any currently approved medication, with BilioPancreatic Diversion (BPD) showing the highest estimated weight loss.Strong
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