DALLAS, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- Obesity, by itself, may not trigger an adverse cardiovascular risk profile or increased risk of death, a U.S. study suggests.
University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas researchers found that the existing body mass index, or BMI, criteria for obesity surgery may not target those most at risk for cardiovascular disease.
The study, published in the December issue of the journal Surgery for Obesity and Related Diseases, evaluated the risk-factor relationship between BMI and cardiovascular disease as it relates to bariatric surgery criteria.
Lead author Dr. Edward Livingston says bariatric weight-loss surgery is recommended for patients with a BMI greater than 40 -- normal BMI is between 18.5 and 25 -- as well as for patients with a BMI greater than 35 who also suffer with non-insulin dependent diabetes, sleep apnea or heart disease.
The findings show that some morbidly obese patients have better cardiovascular disease risk profiles than those who are less obese. The researchers found that cardiovascular risk factors can be much worse in many individuals with a BMI as low as 30 than they are for some surgical candidates with higher BMIs.
