Scientists from the Karolinska Institute have found that people with a genetic predisposition to being overweight have a lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease than people who gain weight solely because of their lifestyle. The research was published in the journal eClinical Medicine.
The authors noted that it is well known that a high BMI in middle age increases the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. A new study has shown that the risk of developing cardiovascular disease in obese people varies greatly.
The researchers used data from more than 15,000 twins from the Swedish Twin Registry. The association between obesity and cardiovascular disease was twice as strong in people with a genetic predisposition to low BMI compared to people with genetically determined obesity.
The scientists stressed that all people who are overweight or obese have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people of a healthy weight. However, the results also suggest that obesity, mainly caused by genetic factors, may not have the same adverse health effects as obesity caused by other factors.