THURSDAY, April 16, 2026 (HealthDay News) -- Long-term excess weight exposure influences cardiovascular risk more than excess weight at a single point in time, according to a study published online April 8 in PLOS ONE.
Alexander Turchin, M.D., from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, and colleagues evaluated the relationship between long-term excess weight and incidence of cardiovascular events. The analysis included 136,498 participants in the Nurses' Health Study and Health Professionals Follow-Up Study with a body mass index (BMI) >25 kg/m2 between 1990 and 1999.
The researchers found that having annualized cumulative excess BMI in the fourth quartile versus the first quartile was associated with an increased cardiovascular risk for women younger than 35 years (hazard ratio [HR], 1.60) and 35 to 50 years (HR, 1.27), as well as for men aged 35 to 50 (HR, 1.57) and 50 to 65 years (HR, 1.23). For women older than 50 years and for men older than 65 years, there was no increase in cardiovascular risk with greater excess BMI exposure. When adjusting for cumulative excess BMI exposure, baseline BMI (in 1990) was not associated with cardiovascular risk.
"These findings should give patients and their clinicians an impetus to address excess weight to improve their long-term health," Turchin said in a statement.
Several authors disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry.