Research

Mixed

In older women, waist/hip ratio is a significant independent predictor of ischemic stroke risk, whereas in older men, only baseline BMI (≥30 kg/m²) is a significant predictor of ischemic stroke risk.

For older adults, stroke risk assessment should be sex-specific. Women should prioritize monitoring their waist-to-hip ratio, as it is a stronger predictor of stroke than BMI. Men should focus on maintaining a BMI below 30 kg/m², as this is the most significant predictor of stroke risk in this demographic.

GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Although only waist/hip ratio was significantly associated with ischemic stroke in quintile analysis in women, dichotomized body mass index (BMI) (≥30 kg/m2) was the only significant predictor in men.
Jorge R. Kizer et al. · American Journal of Epidemiology · 2010

Why this rating

Large longitudinal cohort, rigorous outcome adjudication, but observational design.

Source

Measures of Adiposity and Future Risk of Ischemic Stroke and Coronary Heart Disease in Older Men and Women

Jorge R. Kizer et al. · American Journal of Epidemiology · 2010

DOI 10.1093/aje/kwq311

cohort · n=3754Cited 52×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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