We found that treating people with isolated systolic hypertension was good, no matter what their BMI measure, says Dr. Smoller. It reduced risk for stroke by 37 percent. But we also found that, among both the treated and the controls, the group with the thinnest BMI had the highest rate of both stroke and death. While the group s findings are surprising, they do not outweigh the usual precautions recommended with regard to obesity. Our findings in no way indicate that obesity is good.
Obesity is still a tremendous risk factor.
In fact, participants in the most obese group also recorded high rates for death, says Dr. Smoller. She adds, It s also important to consider that low weight in some participants may reflect frailty, which is a common risk factor of aging. The study, which was based on the actual natural weight of participants, was conducted at nine research centers throughout the United States.