MESA Study Looks At Obesity Rates In U.S., Heart Disease Risk

Boston (dbTechno) - According to a study on heart disease risk and obesity, obese people living in the U.S. are prime candidates for heart disease. The chances are, according to the study, state that if they have not yet developed heart disease, they eventually will.

The study was conducted on 7,000 people who were enrolled in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) trial.

At the beginning of the study, all 7,000 people were free of heart disease.

They were all studied for their risk of developing heart disease, looking at things such as their weight, cholesterol levels, blood pressure, diabetes, etc.

They also looked at their heart arteries, heart muscle mass, and more.

They broke down the numbers and stated that around 70 to 80% of white, African-American, and Hispanic people who took part in the study were overweight, with around 40% of that group being obese.

In terms of African-American women, more than 50% were considered obese.

They found that out of all those studied the group that had the lowest prevalence was Chinese-Americans, as only 33% were considered overweight, with 5% obese.

The researchers stated that obese people, compared to normal-weight people who have the same risk factors for heart disease, had a much higher risk for cardiac events.

The study has been published in the May 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.