Choi S, et al. - Using data obtained by the Korean National Health Insurance Service from 2002 to 2015, this population-based longitudinal study assessed whether body mass index (BMI) or BMI change is associated with coronary heart disease (CHD) in young adults. Researchers reported that obesity and weight gain were correlated with increased risk of coronary heart disease among young adults in South Korea.

Methods

• Participants in the study were 2,611,450 men and women between 20 and 39 years of age who had two health examinations, the first between 2002 and 2003 and the second between 2004 and 2005.
• World Health Organization Western Pacific Region guideline BMI categories of underweight, normal weight, overweight, obese grade 1, and obese grade 2 was recorded during the first health examination.
• Change in BMI was calculated during the second health examination.
• BMI (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared), absolute risks (ARs), adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs), and 95% CIs for acute myocardial infarction or CHD during follow-up from 2006 to 2015 were the assessed main outcomes and measures.

Results

• Information from 1,802,408 men with a mean (SD) age of 35.1 (4.8) years and 809,042 women with a mean (SD) age of 32.5 (6.3) years were incorporated.
• For the total population, the mean (SD) BMI was 23.2 (3.2), while for men it was 24.0 (3.0), and 21.4 (2.9) for women.
• It was noted that overweight (AR, 1.38%; aHR, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.14-1.22]), obese grade 1 (AR, 1.86%; aHR, 1.45 [95% CI, 1.41-1.50]), and obese grade 2 (AR, 2.69%; aHR, 1.97 [95% CI, 1.86-2.08]) men had an increased risk of CHD (P < .001 for trend) vs normal weight men.
• In addition, overweight (AR, 0.77%; aHR, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.24-1.46]), obese grade 1 (AR, 0.95%; aHR, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.39-1.66]), and obese grade 2 (AR, 1.01%; aHR, 1.64 [95% CI, 1.34-2.01]) women had an increased risk of CHD (P < .001 for trend) vs normal weight women.
• Data revealed that vs members who maintained normal levels of weight, those who became obese had elevated CHD risk among men (0.35% increase in AR; aHR, 1.35 [95% CI, 1.17-1.55]) and women (0.13% increase in AR; aHR, 1.31 [95% CI, 0.95-1.82]).
• According to the findings, weight loss to normal levels among obese members was correlated with reduced CHD risk for men (0.58% decrease in AR; aHR, 0.77 [95% CI, 0.64-0.94]) and women (0.57% decrease in AR; aHR, 0.66 [95% CI, 0.45-0.98]).