Weight management

Suggested

2 studies · 1 recommendation

Last updated: February 25, 2026

Weight management – Cardiovascular Disease

Suggested2 studies

Maintaining healthy body weight significantly lowers long-term cardiovascular disease mortality risk

Two large cohort studies encompassing over 1.97 million participants establish a clear link between weight management and cardiovascular mortality. In a 67-year follow-up of 3,839 individuals from the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey, each standard deviation increase in childhood BMI corresponded to 9% higher cardiovascular mortality (HR 1.09; 95% CI 1.01–1.17), with the association persisting to age 77. A UK population-based cohort of 1,969,648 never-smokers revealed a J-shaped relationship between BMI and cardiovascular death, with lowest risk at BMI 21–25 kg/m² and a hazard ratio of 1.21 (95% CI 1.20–1.22) per 5 kg/m² above 25. The protective effect of healthy weight was stronger at younger ages, underscoring the importance of early and sustained weight management for cardiovascular risk reduction.

Evidence

Association of BMI with overall and cause-specific mortality: a population-based cohort study of 3·6 million adults in the UK.

Authors: Bhaskaran, Krishnan, Dos-Santos-Silva, Isabel, Douglas, Ian J, Leon, David A, Smeeth, Liam

Published: January 1, 2018

Among 1,969,648 never-smokers in the UK CPRD cohort, cardiovascular mortality exhibited a J-shaped association with BMI, with nadir risk at BMI 21-25 kg/m². The overall hazard ratio for all-cause mortality per 5 kg/m² above 25 was 1.21 (95% CI 1.20-1.22), with cardiovascular disease specifically showing this J-shaped pattern. Associations were stronger at younger ages, and the BMI associated with lowest mortality was higher in older individuals. Adjusted Cox regression models accounted for age, smoking, alcohol, diabetes, deprivation index, and calendar period across follow-up from 1998 to 2016.

View Source →

Childhood Body Weight in Relation to Cause-Specific Mortality: 67 Year Follow-up of Participants in the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey

Authors: Batty, GD, Brett, CE, Calvin, CM, Cukic, I, Deary, IJ

Published: February 1, 2016

A cohort of 3839 participants from the 1947 Scottish Mental Survey was followed for up to 67 years, yielding 758 cardiovascular disease deaths out of 1568 total deaths. After covariate adjustment, each 1 standard deviation increase in BMI measured at age 11 was associated with a 9% higher rate of cardiovascular mortality (hazard ratio 1.09; 95% confidence interval: 1.01 to 1.17). The association remained statistically significant across the full follow-up period to age 77, supporting early-life weight control as a potentially modifiable factor for long-term cardiovascular risk reduction.

View Source →