Stroke Risk Increases with Mid-Life Obesity

A body mass index greater than 30 in mid-life increases a man’s risk of suffering a stroke, findings from a Swedish study show. The study followed 7,402 apparently healthy men aged 47 to 55 (in 1970) for 28 years. There were a total of 873 first strokes during that time.

The men whose BMI exceeded 30 kg/m2 suffered a higher incidence of total stroke, ischemic stroke, and unspecified stroke than men of normal weight. No significant correlation could be made between BMI and hemorrhagic stroke.