How does abdominal obesity impact stroke risk?
Numerous epidemiological and metabolic studies have shown that abdominal obesity has a stronger correlation with stroke risk than other distributions of body fat. A study of 67000 women found a 2% relative increase in total stroke risk with each 1-unit increase in waist. Other studies have shown similar associations between abdominal obesity and stroke risk. However, some studies have shown that the association is no longer significant in multivariable models. Studies of sex differences in the effect of abdominal obesity on stroke risk have had conflicting results. The impact of obesity on poststroke outcomes remains unclear.