Risk of Death by Cardiovascular Disease Predicted by Body Mass Index and Waist Size

In that body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) are both predictors of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), Ineke van Dis, from the Netherlands Heart Foundatuion assessed the risks of nonfatal and fatal CVD as influenced by BMI and WC in a group of 20,000 men and women, ages 20 to 65 years, residing in the Netherlands and following them for a ten-year period.   They found that elevated waist circumference and obesity each were associated with three- to four-fold higher rates of cardiovascular death and nearly a doubling in nonfatal cardiovascular disease over 10 years in those under age 65.  Based on their study data, the researchers estimated that overweight and obesity account for one in seven cases of cardiovascular disease and one-third of all cardiovascular deaths at the population level.