Overweight and obesity as determinants of cardiovascular risk: the Framingham experience.

To our knowledge, no single investigation concerning the long-term effects of overweight status on the risk for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular sequelae has been reported.

Relations between categories of body mass index (BMI), cardiovascular disease risk factors, and vascular disease end points were examined prospectively in Framingham Heart Study participants aged 35 to 75 years, who were followed up to 44 years. The primary outcome was new cardiovascular disease, which included angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, or stroke. Analyses compared overweight (BMI [calculated as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in meters], 25.0-29.9) and obese persons (BMI > or =30) to a referent group of normal-weight persons (BMI, 18.5-24.9).