Sudden cardiac death risk drops if fatter

ATLANTA, March 19 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers say the risks of sudden cardiac death go down as weight goes up.

Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center reaffirmed the "obesity paradox" -- obese heart patients were at lower risk of sudden cardiac death than non-obese patients. Simply put, being skinny did not prevent the heart patient from sudden cardiac death.

"When we started this study we were hoping the data would disprove the obesity paradox," study co-author Bonnie Choy, a second-year medical student, said in a statement.

However, when Choy and colleagues examined the risk of sudden cardiac death in 1,231 heart patients they found overweight, normal and underweight patients had a 76 percent increased risk of sudden cardiac death than obese heart-failure patients. Normal and underweight patients showed a 99 percent increase in risk for sudden cardiac death compared with obese patients.

The researchers said the science behind this paradox remains unresolved, but co-lead author Eric Hansen, also a second-year medical student, suggested those obese patients who have survived to this point may be genetically better equipped to live with heart failure.

The findings were presented at the American College of Cardiology Annual Scientific Session in Atlanta.