Research
Hormonal
Increased adiposity (measured by BMI) causes an increased risk of incident heart failure and ischaemic stroke, as demonstrated by Mendelian randomization analysis using a genetic risk score.
Maintaining a healthy body weight is a direct way to lower your risk of heart failure and stroke. This isn't just about appearance; excess weight actively causes these conditions. Focus on sustainable lifestyle changes to manage weight, as this directly impacts your cardiovascular health.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Analyses indicated a causal effect of adiposity on development of heart failure (HR = 1.93 per SD-increase of BMI, 95% CI, 1.12–3.30, P = 0.017) and ischaemic stroke (HR = 1.83, 95% CI, 1.05–3.20, P = 0.034).
Why this rating
Mendelian randomization provides strong causal inference, though observational studies showed wider confidence intervals for stroke.
Source
Adiposity as a cause of cardiovascular disease: a Mendelian randomization study
Sara Hägg et al. · International Journal of Epidemiology · 2015
DOI 10.1093/ije/dyv094
Meta-analysis · 9 studiesCited 151×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
Related findings · Hormonal
- Initial treatment for type 2 diabetes should be a combination of metformin and either an SGLT-2 inhibitor or a GLP-1 receptor agonist to achieve cardiorenal protection, rather than monotherapy or older agents like sulfonylureas.Strong
- For patients with specific monogenic obesity syndromes (leptin deficiency, POMC/PCSK1/LEPR mutations), targeted pharmacotherapy (recombinant leptin or setmelanotide) is highly effective and should be prioritized, unlike in polygenic obesity.Strong
- Continued weekly administration of 2.4 mg subcutaneous semaglutide prevents weight regain and promotes further weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity, whereas switching to placebo results in significant weight regain.Strong
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →